


Asylum

by XOs



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Asylum, Blood, Blood and Gore, F/M, Fear, Female Protagonist, Gen, Horror, Insanity, M/M, Mental Hospital, Multi, Murder, Outlast Video Game AU, Thriller, Violence, outlast - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-04-27 20:46:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 30,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14433762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XOs/pseuds/XOs
Summary: After a fatal incident, Basch Zwingli is sent to to the mental hospital, St Bedlam's. His younger sister, Erika Zwingli, makes a habit of visiting him whenever possible. However, she knows something is wrong when the two speak one on one and Basch reveals his intent to escape. A disaster occurs in her attempt to help her brother, one that threatens the life of Erika and everyone else in St Bedlam's.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry; I've ended up starting a new project! It features Liechtenstein, who is a character I've always loved and found to be so adorable. This Fic is definitely influenced by the game 'Outlast', which I thought was really exciting and thrilling to watch. I hope I can replicate that in this Hetalia AU!
> 
> If anyone else is familiar with my previous Fics, I like to put additional notes and character names in the End Notes, since I use a mix of canon, fanon and my own names for the characters.

* * *

**St Bedlam's looked to be a moderately old building, built likely in the eighteenth or nineteenth century, judging from the Gothic style of the murky bricks.** The windows were blacked out, leaving no indication of what was happening inside. A large clock tower rose at the back. Despite the torrents of rain falling down and the general murkiness of the day, the time read boldly, the black pointed hands asserting their stark contrast to the ashen face behind them. The grounds were well maintained, with freshly mowed grass. The roads were free of potholes, smooth and grey and somewhat bland- so expected. It was both pristine and bleak at the same time. This was the last road her brother had seen.

Erika tried not to focus on the rain. It always made the world look a much harsher place. She much preferred the sunlight, but that was a lot to ask for in November. She had never imagined that she would come to a place like this. St Bedlam's... it was a strange name for such a place, but it had also been his home for the past six months. She pitied him, in truth, despite what had happened. She had heard so much about these places and she doubted St Bedlam's was any different. In fact, it looked almost worse.

It was her first time visiting. Her father had been there before, a couple times, but this was the first time he had chosen to bring her, too. She wasn't entirely sure of his reasoning, but she was glad to see her brother again after all this time. The house had become a very lonely place without him.

"Umbrella?" her father was offering it to her, plain black.

Numbly, she grasped the handle and held it in her hands, almost unsure of what to do with it..

"It's OK," he assured her, touching her arm gently. "He's made such an improvement. He'll be just as you remember him."

Deep down, she knew that he was lying to spare her feelings. Just as remembered? She didn't think so. There would be something different about him, something that only could appear from St Bedlam's. Even if it was the subtlest of differences, Erika was convinced that she would be able to tell. Breathing in deep, she nodded, just to pretend she agreed. Her throat felt too thick with anxiety to speak.

"Come on," her father said and opened the car door.

The sound of pattering rain on hard concrete filled her ears. In the safety of the car, it had been subdued. She pushed open her own door and stepped out, the first few drops of rain splashing onto her face and trickling down, cold and unwanted. Hastily, she spread the umbrella out and held it above her head. Water thrummed on her plastic shield. Closing the car door behind her, she hastily followed her father from the car park. There were more vehicles stopped there than she'd expected. It seemed there were a lot of patients present. She crammed her free hand into her pocket and caught up to her father, who was gazing towards the hospital with a serene expression on his face.

"It's very nice here," he explained. "Even if it looks quite morbid on the outside. They didn't want to knock it down and rebuild something more modern, but the inside's been improved a considerable amount. It was built in the early eighteenth century."

She stared at the brick walls, turned blackish brown from the rain, probably red on a good day. It could've been a friendly building- a school, maybe, where primary children ran across a playground, shouting to one another and playing games. It was the setting and the knowledge of the building's purpose that perhaps frightened her more than the actual building and for those reasons, St Bedlam's became a morbid looking place. She felt chills run through her body as they neared the door. Nobody was entering or leaving.

Her father pushed open the door and stepped into a well-lit lobby. Electric lighting had been installed and there were other people inside. They spoke quietly amongst themselves, but the presence of others relaxed Erika just that little bit more. Her eyes wandered from face to face and the pleasant smile on the receptionist's face as he dealt with customers.

"Take a seat," her father instructed, as he approached the front desk to queue.

Idly, Erika wandered to one side of the room. Her gaze was drawn to the wooden bead made for children sitting on a table in the corner of the room. Naturally, there would be children brought here as visitors. It scared her to think that young kids had to experience this in their lives. Her fingers danced along a red sphere attached to a red wire. She and Basch had loved these when they were younger and waiting for their appointments at the dentist. It saddened her to think about all that had happened.

"It gets a little suffocating, doesn't it?"

She jumped and turned to see a young man with chin-length golden hair and wandered over. His winced at her sudden movement and pushed his glasses a little up his nose in embarrassment. He wore a thick coat that was perhaps more weather appropriate than Erika's winter dress and thin cardigan. She really did prefer the summer. He had a kind expression in his violet eyes.

"I didn't mean to scare you," he said quickly, holding up his hands awkwardly.

"N-no worries," she shook her head. "I overreacted. I'm sorry."

He turned away to gaze around the lobby. "I must admit, this place has an odd feel about it, eh?"

She nodded. "This is my first time here."

"Oh?" he glanced at her with a frown. "I've... been her quite a few times."

There was a pause as he picked up a leaflet from a pouch on the board. He seemed about to walk away. Erika didn't really want to be alone, to awkwardly hang around the corner of the room whilst her father organised their meeting.

"I'm visiting my brother," she added and he looked at her swiftly. 

"Oh, same," he said.

There was another brief silence between them. He seemed like a nice person. She held out her hand.

"Erika Zwingli." she said.

His eyes fell on her hand, before he reached out and shook it. "Matthew Jones. It's very nice to meet you."

 _Despite the circumstances._ The words were left unsaid between them, but Erika could hear them in her mind. He nodded to her and walked off towards a man who stood at the desk, in conversation with the receptionist. He was visiting a brother, too. She wondered how long his brother had been stuck in this place. If Matthew Jones' brother didn't seem capable of leaving St Bedlam's, did that mean her brother was in exactly the same position?

She glanced towards the plastic wallet he'd taken the leaflet from. Reaching inside, she took her own copy and stared at the title. ' _Coping: Strategies to Recovery_ '. If he was getting this leaflet, was his brother nearly out of St Bedlam's? Did  _anyone_ leave this place? She opened it and looked at the pictures depicting smiles and the bold headers and row upon row of blank, formal typed text. She snapped it shut and dropped it back into the plastic wallet for someone else to take.

Was she truly ready to be here today? Erika wasn't entirely sure, but she knew that, now she stood in this friendly lobby, with its cream painted walls and wooden floor, she no longer had time to back out. It would be awful of her to wait in the car. What kind of sister would that make her?

"Erika, let's go," her father had appeared by her side and gestured towards a nurse standing beside a door to the left of the room.

Nodding, she followed after him. The man smiled kindly at her, before leading the way down a wide corridor. They passed a storage room and a laundry one, and a few others, before they reached another door at the end of the corridor. A sign was drilled to the wall, clearly reading 'Male Ward'. She took a deep breath as she followed the nurse within. The scene was exactly the same. There were rooms ahead, although they didn't venture further. Instead, the man turned to the side and pressed a button for an elevator to come down. She heard the rattling noise and then watched as the shaft appeared. It looked old and rickety. Was it even safe?

The metal grid doors opened, revealing a small space that could only fit four, slender adults within. Luckily, Erika and her father weren't exactly tall. The pair of them stepped inside with the nurse and he pressed a button that faintly indicated they were going to the sixth floor. The top floor. The doors slid shut and they began a slow, shaky ascent. She stared at the brick wall in front of her. The lifts had to be safe if they were still in operation. In no way would St Bedlam's allow the public into something dangerous. However, she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling.

Erika was relieved when the lift came to a stop and released them. She was the first out and waited for the nurse to lead the way. He strode down the corridor, checking his clipboard, before stopping before a door. A little plaque on the door told her this was Room 6-112.

"He's just inside there," the nurse explained. "He's been making a very good recovery. His coherency is very promising."

Her father nodded, a smile forming on his face. The nurse opened the door and gestured for them to enter. Erika let her father go first. She was terrified of what she was going to see inside that room. An encouraging nod from the man was her final prompt to enter. Stiffly, she followed her father into the room, only to see it was largely empty, save a table and three chairs. All them were plastic, a light material that couldn't do much damage. They were bolted to the floor anyway. At one seat sat her brother, watching his family enter the room.

He looked almost the same as the days when he had lived at home. His hair was the same length, the same golden blonde, he still wore the same harsh expression and his forest green eyes were still filled with life, even if it was somewhat anger. However, relief flooded into his gaze as he saw the pair of them. He almost stood, before glancing over his shoulder briefly, checking himself and sinking back down into his chair. Erika's gaze lifted from her brother to the men who stood less than a few metres away, poised to hold him down should anything happen. It suddenly saddened her to think she couldn't be in the same room as her brother without someone having to watch over them.

"Basch," her father smiled, taking one of the seats.

"Hey, Dad," he replied, sounding just as he always had. "And Erika."

"Hello," she seated herself beside her father.

"How are you?" their father asked kindly.

Basch's gaze slipped to the side just long enough for Erika to notice he was thinking about the men standing behind them. However, he then looked them straight on and tilted his head from side to side.

"Improving," he said. "I think. I feel better every day."

"That's good to hear," their father beamed. "Erika could come along today."

"Yes," Basch looked at her at last. She couldn't find the words to say, so she just smiled and kept her hands tightly clasped in her lap.

"I was told at the front desk that you'd made significant improvements," their father added. "That's really good, Basch."

Erika didn't like how condescending their father was being. Basch was eighteen years old, an adult, yet their father was behaving as if he spoke to a child. This wasn't the way she wanted to see her brother get treated.

"How long do you have?" Basch asked.

"You know they only let us stay for forty-five minutes maximum," their father said awkwardly. "We would stay longer, but we're only here half an hour."

"How long have you been here already?" Basch asked. He almost sounded desperate.

"Not long at all," their father answered. "In this room? Less than five minutes."

"Are you sure you can't stay longer?" it was saddening to see how direct he'd become. Basch had always been far more reserved in the past.

"Unfortunately, we can't," their father frowned. "Mum's back from Geneva today, so we have to go get her from the airport. The drive there is about an hour there and an hour back and she'll be tired from the travelling."

"Too tired to visit, then?" Basch leant back in his chair.

Their father suddenly looked extremely uncomfortable. "You know that's not true."

"She hasn't visited once," Basch tilted his head to the side, his expression becoming harsh.

"And neither has Erika, until today," their father said firmly. "Both she and your mother have been extremely busy this summer. Please understand..."

"That's true," Basch looked at Erika. "You didn't visit on my birthday. It's nice being eighteen, for your information. The perks are that I'm not allowed outside."

"Basch," a warning tone crept into their father's voice.

"What?" her older brother shot him a glower, before collecting himself with a sigh. "I'm sorry. It's frustrating. I've missed you; I really have."

"I missed you, too," she tried not to look away, but felt her eyes draw towards the table.

"I actually wanted to speak to Erika," Basch said. "Alone."

"Um..." their father had the audacity to glance between Erika and the guards. She had faith in her brother.

"It's OK," she said firmly.

"I'll be just outside," he stood and left the room. 

Basch waited until the door closed before he began speaking. "He doesn't trust me with my own sister. Unbelievable."

She wasn't entirely sure what to say. Yes, their father had every right to be wary to leave his daughter alone with this individual. Sure, they were related, but that meant very little considering what had happened. Basch was... unpredictable. But he had had treatments here at St Bedlam's, just like every other patient and Erika was convinced that he was strong enough to make the recovery he needed.

She reached forward and clasped one of his hands in hers. Looking him straight on, she spoke carefully. "I trust you, Basch."

"I don't know how, but you look older," he commented. "You grew your hair longer?"

She idly twirled a braid with one hand. "No... Not really."

"It's a shame I couldn't be there for when you turned fifteen..." he looked away and pulled his hand away from hers. "We don't have a lot of time."

"No, thirty minutes isn't long," she said and he leant a little closer.

"I need a favour."

* * *

Their conversation hadn't last for much longer. Basch had been distant once their father had returned and there had been no explanation. Erika was plagued with guilt from the crimes she was about to commit. Was this really such a good idea? She was almost on the verge of giving up and allowing her brother to stay here until she saw both men pull him to his feet and guide him away like a prisoner, not a patient. She resented that.

"Um, Dad, I need the toilet," she said awkwardly.

"There should be one near the lobby," he replied.

Ideally, she wanted to remain in this block, as she was sure the nurse had used a card to get into the Male Ward. She needed to be here in order to get a card.

"It's really urgent," she panicked.

"Hmm..." he frowned, before past. "Excuse me?"

A nurse had been passing by, but she stopped instantly. It was a different man from before.

"Are there any toilets nearby?" her father asked. "My daughter really needs to go."

The man glanced between father and daughter.

"She's really desperate," her father added.

"I mean, yes... There  _are_ toilets," he gestured down the corridor. "But they're for men."

"Not a problem," her father smiled and began walking. "If she needs it as much as she says, she'll be fine with that. Thanks a lot."

Erika followed hurriedly after her father. There was supposed to be a door at one end of the corridor that would lead to the controls room. The nurse was steps behind them, but she wasn't worried about that. She knew there were probably going to be some people in the controls room. She would just have to be careful when navigating her way around.

She couldn't believe she was actually doing this.

"Here's the toilets," the nurse said as he approached a different door.

She saw the sign for the men's. She also saw that there was a code on the door to the control room. That worked to her advantage. As she was pushing open the bathroom door, she noted the nurse's finger pattern. 8, 0, 9, then 7. She entered the bathroom and headed for a cubicle.

Erika waited a heartbeat, before peering out the door to see her father waiting.

He perked up at the sight of her. "Should we go?"

"Um, actually... do you think you could find a nurse for me?" she asked, forcing on a hesitant tone.

"Oh?" he turned towards the control room.

" _Female_ ," she said pointedly.

"Oh?" he looked embarrassed. "I-I'll go get someone."

She watched her poor, gullible father hurry down the corridor. His actions already told her the nurse hadn't left the controls room. Now that he was out of the way, Erika approached the door with caution. There wasn't any sound coming out from within. Carefully, she pushed in the code and turned the lock. She heard the click and the door pushed open under her touch.

The controls were dark, with metal filing cabinets blocking the view of half the room. Computer screens glowed in the distance and there were voices from the other side of the room. Erika silently shut the door and crept behind some cabinets. All she needed to do was find the security cards... Where would they be?

Her eyes scanned the room, just as soon as red lights filled the room and an alarm blared in her eyes. It was piercing and she cringed, slamming her palms to her ears from the sound.

"What's this?" a man cried. "Lockdown?"

"Get to the lobby as protocol says," another man yelled and she watched two shapes disappear out of the door.

Erika grimaced and wondered if she should head to the lobby, too. Basch would forgive her in this circumstance, for sure? Unless this 'lockdown' was linked to him? She dearly hoped not.

Hesitantly, she snuck to the front of the room and locked at all the glowing screens. She still had no idea as to where the cards could be and there were so many controls that she would need time to survey them. Approaching an office chair, she paused before a set of drawers and crouched before them. Surely there would be something in here?

Her hands had barely touched the stainless steel when the screens sparked and the room was plunged into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, if any of you have watched/played Outlast, then you may have an idea as to where this is headed. Anyway, I hope this is a good start to this Fic, because I'm really excited about this.  
> \----------  
> Erika Zwingli: Liechtenstein  
> Rubin Zwingli: OC (Liechtenstein's father)  
> Matthew Jones, "Matt" or "Mattie": Canada  
> Basch Zwingli: Swizterland  
> \----------


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been watching a lot of Bojack Horseman recently. I'm currently on Season 3 and it's absolutely hilarious, even if it's about Bojack's gradually collapsing life. I'd probably compare it to Archer, except I prefer Bojack to Archer! Really would recommend!

* * *

**Erika couldn't see anything.** The room had completely blacked out and there weren't any sounds to indicate anyone else was present. Her hands skimmed along the control panel, but it all felt metallic and cold. Every button she pushed down on made no effect, apart from a hollow click that echoed meekly around the room. She felt suddenly very cold. There was a loneliness to this empty room that she couldn't explain. Rummaging through her pockets, she found her phone and turned the flashlight on. The space before her was immediately lit up, but the control panel was completely dead. Without electricity, it was nothing. It wouldn't do her any good to stay here. She would have to find her father, who was probably down in the lobby.

She spun around at the sound of a soft knocking on the door. It was still firmly shut and the light left eerie shadows running along the handle. She stared, unsure if she had misheard. The knock came again, a little louder, a little more insistent. She opened her mouth to speak, but the person outside beat her to it.

"Is there anyone in there?"

It wasn't a voice she recognised. Belonging to a man, it had a sharp edge to it and sounded thick from a lack of use. Somewhat scratchy, too. Harsh. Something stopped her from answering, a little voice in the back of her mind that told her it would be a bad idea. She could hear the faint sound of rain bashing against the windows, yet there was no window in sight from where she stood. Instead, she had the sense to turn her phone's flashlight off, plunging the room back into darkness. She dearly hoped none of the light had escaped underneath the crack in the door and, if that  _had_ been the case, that whoever was outside hadn't noticed. She remained very still, refusing to move.

They knocked again, then she heard the telltale clicking of the code being punched in. She waited, eagerly anticipating the door's response. The handle folded down- and the door buckled. The handle violently shook, then relaxed once more. Her skin crawled, but she waited as numbers were pressed once more. Perhaps the code had been accidentally mistyped? The same response. The door rattled and whoever was outside couldn't get in. This was not a member of staff. Perhaps it was another visitor to the asylum? Her hands were very cold. Should she answer? If so, she needed to make it a clever response that a visitor would understand.

She approached the door. "Hello?"

"Hello?" the same person answered. There was almost hope in his voice. "Can you let me in?"

"The door's stuck," she lied. "Who is this?"

"I'm visiting today," he replied. "But then the power cut happened and I can't find anyone."

"Try getting... Emily- she's on duty at the lobby right now," she said. "She always has a spare card."

"Right, OK," he said. "But have you tried twisting the handle?"

She instantly knew this man wasn't a visitor. Visiting today? She didn't think so. The time was three fifty, roughly. Half an hour ago, it had been three twenty and she must've seen the man at the desk at ten past three. An afternoon shift would likely start at two o'clock. That meant the very same man was probably still on desk duty instead of the fictional 'Emily'. This man hadn't passed through the lobby today, as visiting times were restricted to forty five minutes at the longest, if she recalled her father's words carefully. The earliest the man could have been here was two thirty, when afternoon shift had already begun. But... why would a colleague lie about being a visitor?

"Yes," she lied uncertainly.

"Try again," he said.

This door didn't have a code. Instead, there was a second handle above the first one, which she assumed undid the locks. She reached for the original handle, the one she shared with the man outside and twisted it. Tentatively, she wiggled the door. It didn't budge, much to her relief.

"Are you pulling the lock out of place?" he asked. "I can't see the locks moving."

He was watching the door unusually closely, or her nerves were making her suspicious. The moment she put the lock's latch down, whoever was on the other side would come bursting through. She didn't know who this man was and she no longer had access to CCTV from the computer screens to see on the other side.

"Hello?" he asked. "Are you still there?"

She didn't answer. Her throat felt thick. She didn't want to jump to conclusions and accusations, but she felt the blood in her veins freeze. Her heart was thumping in her chest and her palms were sweating. Who was the man standing on the other side of the door if he wasn't a worker or a visitor? All Erika knew was that she couldn't open the door- not at all.

"Hello?" he repeated.

They were both not meant to be where they were standing, she reckoned. If her theories were correct, that was. She wouldn't get into trouble by this man and she had a disturbing feeling that he wasn't in the position to report her.

"I don't work here, just to let you know," she said boldly and hoped he would get the message.

If she was a visitor, she wouldn't know the name 'Emily'. If she was a visitor, she would also understand the rules about visiting times. There was a silence on the other side of the door. She hoped he had left, but she didn't hear his footsteps.

The handle thrust down and the door bucked. She took several steps backwards, raising her hands as if to shield herself.

"If you don't stop, I'm calling the police," she cried out.

"You think you can do that?" he snorted. "If anyone in here managed to get a phone and call someone, the results could be catastrophic. They operate through the control panel on whether calls are allowed through or not. Since that's no longer functioning, there's no internet access anymore and you can't give or receive calls."

She checked to confirm this theory, both by seeing the 'no service' at the top left corner and then by attempting to emergency call the services. Neither worked.

"The power, due to this being a 'lockdown' emergency, has all been channelled into the fence that surrounds this entire complex," he explained. "Not the gates. They're electronically controlled, but the switch has been snapped for them, so they no longer open and close. The fence is now electrically wired, which means nobody can scale it. Nobody's coming in and nobody's coming out. You're stuck here, until this can be solved."

Her mouth felt dry as she raised her eyes towards the door once more. "How do you know all this? You can't possibly  _work_ here?"

" _Nein_..." he said carefully. "But they have to teach us  _something_ about this place, don't they?"

"What?" she blinked.

"Surely, you've... never mind," he sighed. "Please, open the door."

"I can't," she said.

"This door wouldn't break because of a power cut," he said carefully. "It doesn't need electricity to function like the elevator and doors that require cards are. It's a code door, which means it's manual and shouldn't be broken because of the reason you gave."

"I'm not opening it," she insisted.

"It's important that I get in there," he said. "Just to take a look."

She couldn't trust him. "No."

The door handle furiously shook as he tried the door several times. She heard the harsh sound of his shoe against the door as he attempted to kick it. Erika swallowed, her skin crawling as fear rose in her chest. This wasn't the way she had wanted to go.

"I don't have time for this," he blew out a harsh breath and stepped back- she heard the harsh footfall. "Look..."

She listened carefully and heard a soft pad as he pressed his hands to the door.

"You don't sound like a bad person and you don't sound particularly old, either," he said. "I can see why you won't trust me. I'm leaving now, which means you'll be  _alone_. There are other places I need to check, considering you won't let me in here. A word of advice, though... Don't stay in this room, because there'll be other people in this institution who have the means of breaking this door down and there are some people in here who would most certainly hurt you. Not only that, but what your back... You  _really_ shouldn't be in this Ward. Good luck."

"What?" she blinked, but her words were too quiet and his steps already echoed away as he strode briskly down the corridor.

Erika stayed put for about another ten minutes. How could she be sure he was gone? Everything he'd said was odd... but at the same time it made sense. Why would she trust him? And she could understand why she was in the wrong place. Visitors weren't usually allowed in the control room and she assumed St Bedlam's was no different. Also... people who would hurt her. She wouldn't put it past the man on the other side of the door to be part of that category. He also told her to leave this room. Erika strongly believed this room was far safer than any other part of the building in the present state. Although, the other two men had left. Perhaps it wasn't as secure as she was assuming it to be? Maybe she should take the mysterious man's advice?

But it could've been a trick, for all she knew; a vile deception to lure her out to her death. Erika lingered before the door, unsure of what to do with herself. She deliberated leaving, but his words had frightened her. Perhaps she ought to look around this room first?

Switching the phone's torch on, she wandered through the room until she found the single window at the back, hidden behind metal filing cabinets. The sound of rain was far stronger here and she could see the glass was blurry, with rivulets of rain running down its smooth surface. The world outside looked bleak and dim. It was winter, so it would turn dark at five. That was something she didn't want to see. Hopefully, the issue would be sorted by then. She looked out of the window, but couldn't see a ledge outside. It would be crazy to jump out from the seventh floor. That was suicide. She had to try the window anyway. Dismayed, she found it was bolted shut, probably a perk of the lockdown. Nobody would be opening any windows any time soon.

She looked towards the door once more and really wondered if she should leave the room. There had been no sounds outside, but she wasn't sure how long the man was willing to wait before she came out. It terrified her, to think there was a person outside, hoping to catch her as she stepped out. The alternative was that he had left and that she was lingering around for far too long. She wasn't naturally brave, but she didn't want to waste her phone's battery hiding in this tiny room. There was only so long the device could last. After that, she would be doomed to squinting in the darkness.

Carefully, she crossed the room silently. Erika lifted her hands to the lock and handle and paused. Taking a deep, quiet breath, she flicked them across and opened the door. An empty corridor stretched out before her. It was much brighter out here compared to the room. She could see without the phone's light, so she turned it off. Erika really didn't want to waste what batteries she had left. She couldn't see the end of the corridor, but that didn't bother her. Whoever had been outside had long left by now. There were so many doors. She wondered if these were for visitations? She had to assume so. She tried the nearest door and it opened with ease. It had the same layout as the one she had spoken with Basch in. This was the visitor's floor. She was likely safer up here than anywhere else.

Her footsteps sounded solitary and loud in such a vacant space as she wandered further down the corridor. Everything looked the same to her, so she had no idea as to where she was. A small, green glow attracted her attention to the elevator shaft. It wasn't currently on her floor, but the cage was stubbornly in place. She trailed her hands along it and looked down into the depths below. Was it possible that the staff still had access to their cards, despite lockdown? It made sense why the two men would go to the lobby, then. It was protected with card security.

The elevator wasn't the only way down, though. There must've been a set of stairs she could use to get down. They were probably further down the corridor, as the staff seemed eager to keep their visitors away from potential mixing with the patients. It was quite a delicately organised system, in all honesty. With a sigh, she pushed away from the elevator and wandered further down the corridor, searching for her only way back to the ground floor. She cast a dim shadow across the ground as she flitted past each window. It was all the same scene outside. Rain, grey, and the inevitable feeling that she'd rather be outside than stuck where she currently was.

She finally reached the end of the corridor and found the staircase. Dismayed, she saw the metal cage was in place before the stairs. By the looks of it, a key was needed for the thick lock that remained in place. One set of stairs led downwards, whilst another, curiously, led upstairs. Was there access to the roof? She tried both doors, only to find that neither worked. Disappointed, she edged away, until she heard footsteps. Panicked, she wondered where they were coming, when a figure dashed up the stairs and met the cage. He looked ill and manic, eyes darting this way and that. His lips were pulled back into a grimace, exposing bared teeth. His eyes fixed on her, terrified and wild.

Letting out a shrill cry, his arms swung around in all directions.

"Wait," she called out, approaching the gate, but he backed away hastily as she neared.

Erika cried out as the man fell backwards, head jarring against the steps. A sickening crack filled the air and his useless limbs shivered and flopped around his body, like hanging meat. Her hands curled tightly around the caged fence, staring down at the man who came to a final rest at the foot of the stairs. He lay there, motionless, and she could see he'd taken a head wound that bled.

"Are you OK?" she called out, but received no answer.

Some part of her had expected that, but it sickened her too much to keep looking. She flitted away from the door, meandering further down the corridor. She became increasingly unsure of herself. Perhaps she should've risked her chances with the man from earlier? He had certainly displayed better sanity than the man she'd just encountered, as cruel as that sounded and he seemed to know the institution very well. She had no clue of where she was. There was the slim chance that he was kind enough to let her live and even kinder so as to help her return to the lobby.

Erika came across a turning and peered down the corridor. It was another empty stretch, only it was now getting darker and darker and her vision became further limited. For safety measure, she turned on her phone. Some part of her wanted to go back to the stairs, to make sure that poor man was OK, but she knew he'd been dead before he'd reached the bottom of the stairs. She felt a little guilty. She hadn't meant to have frightened him. Besides, she was getting nowhere aimlessly wandering the halls.

There had been no way down, as far as she was concerned, which meant the man was probably still on this floor. If she could find him... It was madness, but she suddenly believed that reaching out to someone was the best plan. If they could put their minds together, perhaps she'd be able to find her father and get out, and the man would be able to achieve whatever goals he'd had in mind. If that was the case, she should probably go back to the control room. He would have to return there eventually, especially if he, too, was stuck on this floor.

Filled with a little more hope, she turned on her heel and chose to backtrack. She was wasting her phone's battery, with all this turning around, but she knew it would have a good cause. Unless there were more stairs on the other side of the building that were unlocked. She stopped on the spot and looked over her shoulder. She predicted the corridors looped all the way around, which meant there must've been two elevator and stair systems. Was it worth going all the way round? The corridors only went one way. She would bump into the man eventua-

There was a loud crashing from around the corner, where the stairs would've been. It proceeded for the next five minutes, then there were heavy footsteps on the floor. They faded from hearing.

A man's groans filled the air after some time, accompanied by a  _dragging_ , which eventually turned to cries. Erika's heart began thudding in her chest, as the wails turned to gurgles. A sharp, clattering filled the air and she froze on the spot, rooted with fear. A screaming pierced through the air, followed by someone's cheerful laughter and splatter of... something. She didn't want to know. Glancing from side to side, there were doors accessible everywhere. She grabbed the nearest handle and slipped inside a room, turning the light from her phone off. Once more, she was in the darkness, but she could still hear the person laughing in the corridor outside.

"Dude, I forgot how exhilarating that is!" someone cried- another man. "I'm glad we got to meet."

Who... who was he talking to? She remained close by the wall, listening through a shut door as her only defence.

"You smell nice today, by the way," the man continued. "Like perfume, or something. Haven't smelt that in a while, huh."

She froze and lifted a wrist to her nose. Carefully breathing in, the floral aroma had hit her. Surely nobody's senses were  _that_ acute?

"Nah, it's not you," the man concluded and she heard a loud of thud of something heavy hitting the floor. "But that would mean... there's somebody  _special_ on this floor?"

Special? What did-

She heard footsteps approaching, getting closer, getting louder, getting right beside the door. Erika closed her eyes and bit down on her lip.

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still watching Bojack as I'm writing this.  
> \----------  
> Erika Zwingli: Liechtenstein  
> \----------


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've finished Bojack. Season 5 should be coming out in September, but my life still feels empty.

* * *

**She had never felt so relieved in her entire life.** The footsteps sailed past and echoed down the corridor some more. Whoever it was walked with a purposeful stride. Erika hadn't noticed, but she was shaking all over. The room itself wasn't that cold, although she suspected temperatures would drop now that the heating was no longer in operation, but her limbs trembled uncontrollably nevertheless. Her heart thudded in her chest and her palms had become clammy. She couldn't help but listen to her own ragged breaths. Erika couldn't control them, nor could she quieten herself down. She also knew that it would be stupid to stay in this room with a lunatic running around this floor.

Her fears were slowly being confirmed. Lockdown had been issued because  _someone_ had escaped. The first man may have been capable of rational conversation, but the second one... he hadn't been. And the third? She didn't want to know.

Tentatively, she closed her hand around the doorknob, before turning it round and flinging the door open. She expected that acting quicker was the better option in this circumstance. Stepping out into the dark corridor, she hastily walked towards the stairs once more, the opposite direction the man had disappeared off to. The stink of iron instantly hit her. She stopped in her tracks, feeling her throat rapidly get tighter. Her eyes were drawn down to the floor, to where the source of the smell came from.

Turning away, she retched, gagging. The corpse's bowels had long lost control. Her eyes watered. Unable to hold it in, she staggered to the corner and vomited. It was much better being out than in. She couldn't drawn her eyes away. Automatically, she turned to look at the corpse- for it most certainly wasn't alive at this stage. The throat had been slashed several times and was still gushing blood. There were multiple stab wounds on the chest and stomach and the hands and feet were left as bloodied stumps. This had been a slow, tortuous death. She stood, shaking and staring. It was an actual human body. There were two of them now, the one she'd left earlier and... this one. Except it suddenly left real now, because this one really looked dead. The other one... could've been unconscious.

She took a step forwards and peered down at the body. The eyes were dull and glassy and thin trails of blood had slowly dribbled from the corners of the mouth. There was no sign of life and blood had begun to pool around in a dark puddle. Footsteps trailed away from the blood. She hadn't noticed them before, but now that she had, they were imprinted upon her mind. They definitely belonged to a man, that was for certain.

Shaking, she forced herself towards the door, which had been torn from its hinges and hung limply. She suspected things would be dangerous from now on. There were all kinds of characters roaming these halls and she doubted many of them would take to her too well. Edging away, she had to glance at the body once more. It remained still and unmoving and she doubted this would be the last casualty with a man like that running around. Swallowing, she finished the descent and looked down at the man, crumpled and broken at the bottom of the steps. He had been mostly untouched.

"I'm sorry," the words escaped her lips, because she knew she was partly responsible for this man's death.

She should've had the grace to close his eyes, but she didn't want to touch a corpse, so she instead went down the next set of stairs, to the fifth floor. The metal gate here had been ripped apart, too. There were so many safety measures, it was unbelievable. To think all this scenery was hidden from the general public. St Bedlam's really did a lot to save their customer's emotions. It looked a lot like the previous floor, except more doors had been bashed down, or swung on their hinges. It was getting gradually darker, too, so the scene looked all the more eerie. There was some blood on the walls, but little to suggest anything too bad had happened.

Once more, she was alone in this wretched place. Cautiously, she stopped before a door that was still tightly closed. There was a glass slat, although when she peered inside, the room was vacant. She glanced down at the handle and turned it, although she suspected this one would need some kind of key. Raising her eyes, she cried out and leapt away from the door. A dull eyed face stared at her and gently pawed at the door before pressing a hand to the glass and watching her. Erika's heart slammed, before she recollected herself. Her nerves were running high; anything was scaring her in the current moment. She blew out a breath and awkwardly averted her gaze. She couldn't let another patient out just because, by the looks of it, all the others had escaped. That man was probably safer than she was, holed in his own little space.

She wondered if, now that she was lower down, her phone could work. She attempted to make another call, but it truly didn't go beyond St Bedlam's. It seemed the authorities really were out of the question. It was dark enough that she needed the torch once more. Turning it on, she had to check the battery on her phone. It was still high, which was a relief. She didn't want it going out at this current moment.

Pulling her cardigan closer to herself, she glanced towards the next set of stairs. The doors here hadn't been broke open. Erika checked if they were locked. They were. It seemed she wasn't about to be moving on any time soon. She shook the bars and wondered if she was able to push them apart. They seemed stuck fast. She wasn't about to get through these any time soon. These doors weren't the ones she currently needed.

Turning away, she noted a light on the other end of the corridor. She froze up, looking at the eerie white glow, but then wondered how there was light when there was no electricity. The patients were unlikely to have access to electronic devices. Could this possibly be... a member of staff or another visitor? The light bobbed, indicating the motion of walking and when she listened she could hear the faintest sound of feet on the tiled floors.

"Hello?" she called out and watched the light freeze. She waited, because she wondered if this truly was someone safe round the side of the corridor.

There came no response.

"Is anyone there?" Erika knew noise was dangerous in a place like this, but she was desperate to potentially find more people who were in the same situation as her.

The light remained on and she wondered if someone was deliberating on the other side of the wall. Slowly, she began to make a gradual approach towards the end of the corridor. Her breaths were loud as she walked and she could feel terror building up in her chest alongside her beating heart. Eyes wide, she neared the corner and peered round to see four people conversing.

"Hello?" she asked.

A young man dressed in the uniform of a nurse leapt with a cry. He was the one holding the phone with the torch, but he lost his grip and it was was sent clattering across the ground. Wide cornflower blue eyes were trained on her and a hand had flown to his throat in fear.

"I'm so sorry," she worried.

The three others stood nearby in terror, glancing at one another uncertainly.

"No,  _I'm_ sorry," the nurse replied, stooping down to pick up his phone. "I didn't mean... I didn't mean to do it. I-I..."

He trailed off and returned to nervously biting his nails. She could see he was shaking all over and that his eyes flicked from side to side. This man was afraid. It was likely, as an employee, that he had some answers.

"Are you a visitor?" a large man with neat blonde hair and ice blue eyes asked.

She nodded and held out her hand. "Erika Zwingli."

"Zwingli?" the nurse's voice arose an octave and he stared at her, speechless. His eyes ran over her a few times, before his shoulders relaxed and recognition appeared in his face. "Oh, yes. You two do look very similar."

"I'm Ludwig Beilschmidt," the large man said. "I, too, am a visitor, alongside these two. He works here. Are you alone?"

She nodded. "My father and I got separated just before the lockdown appeared. I don't know where he is."

"We haven't seen anyone else around," Ludwig said. "Did you see a set of stairs as you came by?"

"Yeah," Erika glanced over her shoulder, but the wall blocked her view. "They were locked, though."

"Damn..." another man with shoulder length blonde hair tied into a low ponytail scowled and half turned away.

"Well..." the nurse looked uncomfortable. "I hate to say this, but I leant my keys to a colleague and he never had the chance to return them. Also, the lift isn't working... They require the use of our key cards, but without the power, they're useless. We'd have to find the basement to get them working again, as the card system's on a completely different generator- one that I think has crapped out."

"Does that mean the doors to the lobby don't work, either?" Erika felt unsettled.

The nurse shook his head and resumed biting one of his nails.

The last man, one with dark hair and green eyes, had been wearing a thoughtful expression. "I suppose the thing to do would find another way down to the basement?"

"That requires a key, too," the nurse looked uncomfortable.

"Should we maybe stop in one of the rooms to talk?" the blonde man shared his unease. "I feel like we're only going to attract attention here..."

"Good idea," Ludwig hummed, turning towards the nearest door and shook the handle. It rattled, but didn't open. "Hmm... Perhaps a different door, then..."

He tried several other doors, but all of them were locked.

"It's probably best to keep locked doors locked," the nurse admitted. "There are guest rooms on the next floor up which should be open."

"I don't think it's safe up there," Erika said numbly and received a few cautious glances. "I heard talking."

She didn't want to alarm them by giving the full, gory details. It was clear that the nurse was already stressed out about this situation.

"You were on the floor above?" the dark haired man gave her a curious glance. "How did you get down here?"

"The gates between the stairs were broken," she admitted.

"We'd best stay clear of that area, then," Ludwig said. "There must be an open door here somewhere..."

He led the way, turning the corner and testing each door as he went. The ghostly light from his phone's torch illuminated the entire corridor and the rattling of each handle wasn't a comfort to Erika. Their footsteps echoed past shadows and the quiet of the path ahead only made her all the more anxious. Finally, one of the doors moved under Ludwig's will and the door inched open. Erika clutched her phone tightly and stared with wide eyes as Ludwig walked into the room, glancing this way and that.

Erika was the second one in, the other three following shortly after. It was a small space, with just a bed with a mattress. There were no sheets. She assumed that was to prevent any suicidal attempts. A bar light was attached to the ceiling, but it wasn't working. She could only see the bare minimum. She pitied the patients for the kind of lives they had to lead. Did Basch had a small, isolated room like this, with only his thoughts to keep him company?

A wild screaming pierced her ears. She spun round to see a straggly man had clasped his hands around the blonde man's throat, seemingly having come from nowhere. There was a terrifying look in his eyes and his knuckles were white from the pressure he applied. The blonde man choked, gagged and clawed at the man's hands. Ludwig charged forwards and pried the patient's hands from the blonde's throat. With a hysterical cry, the man raced out of the room, the sound of his bare feet pattering against the tiled floors.

"Francis, are you OK?" the dark haired man had rushed to his friend's side.

The blonde, gasping and leaning against the wall, held his throat and shook his head. He wore an agitated expression, but it was somehow mixed with relief. Erika felt frozen to the spot as Ludwig shut the door and stood firmly in front of it, arms crossed and the light from his phone spreading across the floor. The blonde was led to the bed, where he sat down, breathing a little easier. Erika chanced a glance at the nurse to see his violet blue eyes were trained on the blonde. He was shaking once more, but hung back without saying a word.

"I'm fine, now," the blonde croaked, waving away his friend's hands. "It's not like he broke the skin or anything..."

"It's evident this place isn't safe," the dark haired man glanced towards Ludwig.

"No..." he rubbed his temples.

"Are you two OK?" the dark haired man glanced at both Erika and the nurse.

She nodded fearfully and didn't see the nurse's response.

"Antonio, by the way," the man added. "This is Francis and that's Ludwig. What did you say your name was again?"

"Erika," she replied.

He nodded, before looking beyond her shoulder. "And what about you?"

"T-Tino," the nurse clasped his hands together, brows furrowed as he kept glancing towards the door.

"OK... Tino..." Ludwig frowned. "Please explain to us what's going on?"

"Wh-what's going on?" Tino's eyes widened. "A-ah, right. W-well... you see... I'm not entirely sure."

Erika felt chilled as she glanced between each person.

"What do you mean?" Antonio asked.

"Who am I kidding?" Tino sighed and turned his eyes down to the floor. "Nothing like this has happened before. I've never been trained for these kinds of situations because we've never predicted them to occur."

"You mean, you don't know what's happened and you don't know how to solve it?" Francis coughed and glanced up at him.

"Please don't look so accusing," Tino panicked. "I'm not a senior member of staff, nor am I part of the technical team, so they don't really disclose a lot of information to us. I'm very sorry..."

"Don't worry about it," Ludwig said. "No matter what happens, you still know this place better than us and you have your key card, if I'm correct?"

"I do," Tino took it out of his pocket to show them.

"Well, that's a good start," Francis muttered.

"And you say we need to get to the basement to restart the generator there?" Ludwig ignored the other blonde.

"That's right," Tino seemed to be gaining more confidence as the conversation flowed. "We'll need the correct key or a master key, though. One of my colleagues took my set of keys and if we're lucky, he's still in this Ward."

"You mean we have to wander aimlessly about, looking for someone?" Francis despaired.

"Chin up," Antonio sympathetically rubbed his back.

"It's our only option," Ludwig said. "As for walking around, two of us should constantly have a torch on. One person at the front, the other at the back."

"Oh, yes," Tino frowned. "Speaking of phones, I think mine's broken..."

He held up the cracked screen and pressed the Home button. The screen remained black and unchanging.

"I'm very sorry," Erika frowned, assuming that it broke when he'd dropped it.

"It's not the end of the world," he smiled sadly and tucked it into his pocket.

"So, we're one phone down and the rest have limited batteries?" Antonio frowned.

"I think our immediate goal is to work out how to get across the different floors," Ludwig said. "I personally can't say I can break down the gates with my bare hands."

"Didn't Erika say she'd come from the floor above?" Francis glanced at her.

She hesitated. "I'm not sure it's safe up there."

"There are two stairways per floor," Francis continued. "Did you check the other one?"

Numbly, she shook her head.

"I mean, Milen's main duties were on the fourth floor..." Tino shrugged. "If there is a possibility that we can get access from the other side of the building, we could find him and get keys for the rest of the floors."

"I think we should check," Francis said.

"Well, there are different keys for each floor," Tino continued. "And I leant him the entire ring. If we can get those keys, we'll have access to the entire Male Ward."

"I'm not sure," Ludwig looked uncertain. "What are you misgivings, Erika?"

"There were some people up there," she worried. "One of them killed another man."

"Ah, so there's a lunatic in the way," Francis threw his hands up in frustration and Tino's fears returned.

"What kinds of people are locked up in this place?" Antonio cast a suspicious look in the nurse's direction.

"I-it really ranges," Tino averted his gaze.

"Great... just great," Francis shook his head. "I still think we should go up there, though, because we're getting nowhere down here. We've searched this entire floor."

"Isn't it worth the risk?" Antonio nodded in agreement.

Erika wasn't willing to go up to that floor, with that man. However, she didn't want to be left behind, either.

"Well, we can't split up," Tino said adamantly.

"Agreed," Ludwig nodded. "Which means we should all go together."

"We're done with this floor," Francis decided, standing and heading to the door. "Besides, there's five of us and two of them."

Erika still wasn't consoled, but she had to follow the rest anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, so in the space between the Beginning Notes and the End Notes, I've been watching Shadowhunters and Riverdale. The former is based on the Mortal Instruments series and as the show has been going on, it's strayed from the book more and more, which has been slightly annoying. As for the latter, it's begun to get exciting again. If anyone here watches either of the shows, then I'd probably recommend if you're looking for something easy to watch.  
> \----------  
> Erika Zwingli: Liechtenstein  
> Tino Väinämöinen: Finland  
> Ludwig Beilschmidt, "Lud": Germany  
> Francis Bonnefoy: France  
> Antonio Carriedo, "Tony": Spain  
> \----------


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really should do some work tomorrow. I tried to today, but I'm so stressed that it has become too difficult to focus. Paradox, really. I hate it when things become like this.

* * *

**There was nobody outside of the room, waiting for them.** That in itself was a relief to Erika. They organised the formation that Francis would walk first and Ludwig at the back. Erika had turned her phone off, as had Antonio, to preserve battery life. She was second to back, with Tino safe in the middle. The corridors were dark and murky and sounds from obscure and distant places drifted through the air. The hairs on her arms stood up and she could feel a light sweat form on her body. Anxiety set her on edge and her heart was pounding in her chest. She was glad she wasn't carrying a phone, because her limbs were shaking and she fear she would accidentally drop it.

Erika felt extremely exposed. Anyone could leap out at them when they were marching along like this and some patients seemed to have acquired weapons along the way. They were being as quiet as possible, but it was difficult not to make noise as they shuffled along, single file. The moon was covered in clouds, which meant the windows truly weren't a source of light anymore. Once the torches were out, they wouldn't be able to see until the morning. Erika usually wasn't afraid of the dark, but she  _was_ afraid of what lay within it. She watched Francis' light pass over every shape, casting shadows behind doors. The corridors were mainly empty, which meant, with the light, they could see a great distance ahead. She had to remind herself that, whilst light was their only salvation, it would likely attract the attention of others.

The more they walked, the more she noticed that doors hung open, the locks beaten. A lot of them were bloody from brute force. People had hurt themselves to escape. It saddened her. She dearly hoped Basch was OK in all this mess. She wondered who the others had been visiting. Were they all together, or were there three separate people who they'd come to see? Words didn't exactly come easily in these dark corridors and she knew her voice would carry, no matter how quietly she spoke. That was how silent St Bedlam's had become.

They froze when they saw a young man stagger into the corridor, just a few paces in front of Francis. The blonde man froze up and the patient, who couldn't have been much older than Erika, squinted at the light and cried out, staggering away. He was extremely thin and lanky, his limbs flailing as he shielded his face and dashed further down the hallway and into a door. Erika and her group numbly watched as it slammed shut, shivering on its hinges. Francis remained stock still, his brows furrowed and his fingers pressing tightly into his phone. Antonio tapped him on the shoulder and the two looked at one another, before nodding and continuing. Those two had definitely come to St Bedlam's together. There was a bond between them.

"Doubtless that boy attracted some kind of unwanted attention," Ludwig tried to keep his voice down, but no matter how quietly he spoke, his words seemed to carry decibels.

Erika nodded in agreement and Tino began to wring his wrists nervously. They proceeded down the corridor. Erika glanced at the door the young man had raced through and had the nerve to try the handle. Tino turned wide eyes on her as she did so, but no matter how much she turned the handle this way and that, the door didn't budge. She even shook it a little, but no noise was emitted from within.

"Strange," she murmured as Ludwig ushered her on.

They turned the corner, once again to reveal more open doors. Except the sigh here was far more horrifying. A man lay on the floor, his face mutilated. He was wearing a nurse's uniform and lacerations covered his arms. His throat was slit and the blood had pooled around his body. It shimmered in the phone's torchlight- still wet, so still moderately fresh. Erika swallowed at the very sight, holding her stomach together, whilst Tino was sick. He still wasn't able to look at it as they passed by. Erika had been prepared by the first brutal deaths. Whilst the stink of iron still made her queasy, she at least could keep herself together.

Their feet splashed through the puddle and Tino gagged. He didn't vomit again, though. He kept a hand over his mouth and nose, refusing to breathe deeply as they passed the corpse. There were further bodies and bloodstains, down the hallway. Entrails hung out of stomachs, eyes had been gouged out, mouths were bloodied and their tongues had been cut out, throats slashed, chests stabbed. She could smell the fresh meat and it was making her increasingly nauseous. Erika kept her gaze averted. Tino was shaking all over, so she reached forward and held his free hand. He hastily looked at her and she could see the comfort that flooded into his eyes.

The walls were splashed with red and she saw a bloodied handprint. Whatever had occurred here, it had been recent and it had been brutal. Erika dearly hoped that the person was still not present. It also partly explained where a large number of patients had gone.

"This is awful," Tino finally said and stopped moving, panic in his eyes.

"Maybe we shouldn't stop in the corridor," Antonio looked worried.

"We have space to run here," Francis reasoned. "What is it, Tino?"

"I can't believe what's happened to most of these poor people," he crouched beside a body, half pulling Erika down with him. "A lot of them were defenceless."

It was only then that she noticed almost all of them had been bound up in strait jackets. Tino still looked ill. He shook his head and rose to his feet once more.

"I think we need some explaining," Ludwig shot a pointed look in Tino's direction.

"I don't know what else there is to say," Tino looked despairingly from face to face. "A patient escaped and the building went into lockdown. I suspect it was in the Male Ward, so we have to hope all's well in the Female Ward."

"But what does lockdown actually  _do_?" Francis frowned. "By the looks of it, lunatics are running wild in all directions."

"They're not  _lunatics_ ," Tino suddenly became defensive. "They're  _patients_. These are ill people. Lockdown serves to keep them in St Bedlam's and, if they escape the building, within the premises. You may have noticed the gates when you entered?"

The group nodded.

"Lockdown takes most of the power from the building and puts it into the fence and gates surrounding St Bedlam's," Tino explained. "They become highly electrified, which means no one can enter and no one can leave."

"So, we're  _stuck_ in here?" Francis paled.

"The problem is, with a break out of this scale, we would normally call for military aid," Tino frowned. "But it seems there was some kind of power cut along the way, which leads me to question whether the gates are electrified or not."

"So, we  _can_ leave?" Francis looked hopeful.

"The only issue with that is the patients can as well," a troubled expression crossed the nurse's face. "And some of these people truly are  _dangerous_ to society. It would be a major travesty if the Level Five patients escaped."

"They have  _Levels_?" Antonio glanced at Francis.

"We don't like to tell visitors this, because it seems like we're labelling their loved ones as a threat, but yes, we separate the patients by how much of a threat they pose to society," Tino said sheepishly. "There are five Threat Levels and, respectively, we place each Level accordingly to each floor."

"Which makes this floor the one with the Level Five patients," Erika said.

Tino cast her an anxious look. "Yes."

"We're on the most dangerous floor?" Francis gawked.

"Yes," Tino grimaced. "And I fear that if there's been a power cut, we won't be able to restore the generator in the basement."

"Thus trapping us in this Ward," Antonio put the pieces together.

"We're  _stuck_?" Francis only became more troubled.

"That's only if it's a full power cut, or if just one switch has been tripped and short circuited," Tino hastily added.

"Why don't we just break a window?" Francis glanced to the side.

"We're five stories high," Ludwig reminded him.

"Not only that, but even if we were to get to the Ground Floor, we still wouldn't be able to break the windows open," Tino grimaced. "They're bullet proof. They're designed so that  _absolutely nothing_ can break through. St Bedlam's has an extreme policy of safety-"

"That has completely  _backfired_ ," Francis glowered.

"You say that, but a majority of the people are probably in the lobby," Tino argued.

"Unless, of course, there's been a power cut," Antonio said flatly.

Tino lowered his eyes to the floor and said no more. Erika was beginning to get the feeling they were doomed. Tino himself had even said 'if', rather than 'when' they reached the ground floor. There had even been a hypothetical tone there. If the nurse, who knew the patients far better than any of them, was already doubting their survival, Erika wasn't sure how much she should allow herself to hope. It all seemed very dire.

"We should proceed," Ludwig broke the awkward silence.

"I do wonder," Tino rubbed his temples. "There's a Control Room on the floor above. You see, the sixth floor is for visitation purposes only. The patients aren't allowed up there. If the screens in the Control Room are working, we'll be able to see the entire building."

"They're not," Erika said.

"Hmm?" Tino glanced at her. "How would you know? It's a Staff Only room."

"I went in there," she averted her gaze awkwardly. "I was in there when the lockdown occurred, then the screens sparked and everything went dark. I don't think it's worth going up there."

"Let's stick to one thing," Antonio shook his head. "Let's find the basement generator and see what we can do from there. We can decide on a new course of action once we've ticked something off the box."

Erika nodded and they continued their formation. They turned the corner again and found the next set of stairs. The gates to the floor above were pulled apart and broken, hanging on their hinges. As for the gates to the floor below, they remained intact.

"I guess it's a comfort that the Level Five patients have chosen to travel up, rather than down," Tino said. "Are you sure we shouldn't check the Control Room?"

"Positive," Erika nodded. She didn't want to face the dangerous people who had been up there.

"Well, we can't go down," Francis despaired.

"Wait a second,  _gringo_ ," Antonio approached the bars and peered through. "There's something down there."

Francis flashed his light down once more, catching the shine of something lying at the foot of the stairs. It glimmered silver.

"A key," Ludwig voiced their thoughts.

"I wonder if it's a skeleton key," Tino looked hopeful.

"We can't get that," Francis said. "Look."

He tried squeezing through the bars, but couldn't even truly fit beyond his shoulder. His cornflower blue gaze turned towards them, somewhat accusing. Erika could tell Francis' stress levels were beginning to rise rapidly.

"Hmm..." Ludwig frowned. "I have an idea. Step aside."

Francis and Antonio let him reach the gate. Ludwig gripped two bars and heaved with all his strength. His muscles strained and Erika watched the veins grow tense in his arms. His knuckles paled with the force he was applying and he managed to bend the bars to either side with brute strength. Tino's eyes widened and he seemed troubled by this. Erika watched in awe as Ludwig made significant changes, before stepping back tired and breathing heavily.

"That's all I can do," he confessed.

Francis tried again. "I still can't fit."

"I probably can," Erika stepped forward.

"Are you sure you want to go through alone?" Francis looked concerned.

"I'll be alright," Erika held on to the bars and began to squeeze through.

It was still extremely tight and she was worried she was going to get her head stuck, but she managed to get through. She glanced at the others and received many reassuring smiles. Carefully, but quickly, she dashed down the short flight of stairs and lifted the cold key in her hands. It didn't look particularly special, but if it was here, it was likely the key to the fifth floor. Returning back to the gate, she fit the key in the lock and wiggled it. It didn't work. She tried it several times and in both directions. Nothing worked.

Francis sighed. "Well, that blows. Worth keeping the-"

"I hear  _voices_ ," a voice carried out across the corridor and she watched the faces of the others pale.

"N-n-no, n-not h-him," Tino turned white as a sheet and took several steps backwards. "W-we h-h-have to g-go!"

Francis looked hesitant, but followed after Tino when he ran off in the opposite direction of the voice. Antonio glanced at her apologetically and dashed off after his friend.

"Wait!" she frowned, grasping the bars. "Where are you all going?"

"I see  _people_!" someone cackled from the end of the corridor. Erika suddenly recognised his voice. He was the perfume guy. "Voices have people!"

"You'll be safer on that side," Ludwig assured her, before bolting after the other three.

"Don't leave me!" she cried, tears appearing in her eyes, as she heard footsteps rapidly approaching.

Her breath caught in her throat and she backed away from the gate, being careful not to go too far and fall down the stairs. She watched as someone dashed along the corridor, only to come skidding to a halt just by the stairs. He turned his head and stared at her. He looked familiar, but she didn't know why, as she had never seen him in her entire life. Her heart was in her throat and she was fairly sure it wasn't beating. There was something hollow about the way he stared at her. He was a young man with golden hair and cerulean eyes, like a vivid sky. In the streets, he could've been an ordinary, handsome young man, but in here his hair was filthy with blood and the same red stained his plain, grey clothes. He wasn't wearing shoes and there were bruises on his arms.

Erika was desperately hoping he would just walk away. Whilst that was dangerous for the others, the way he stared at her made her extremely uncomfortable. For some reason, she couldn't look away and she was too terrified to move, like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Hello."

His voice was much softer than before. It was unexpected and it chilled her considerably. His eyes drifted up and down several times, taking in every inch of her. She took another involuntary step back. Her heel almost went down the stairs. She gripped the railings, but couldn't draw her gaze away from him. Erika felt that, if she looked away, he would suddenly attack.

"You're a  _girl_ ," he approached the bars and curled his hands around them. She noted the bloodied knife in one hand. "I haven't seen one of you in  _four years_."

Her mouth felt completely dry.

"You're very pretty," he said, then attempted to fit through the bent bars. When he failed, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "So, it was  _you_ I smelt earlier."

Erika's rip on the bannister tightened. However, he couldn't get past. Francis had been slighter, so if Francis couldn't... this man couldn't, either.

"I'll come back for you, doll," his tone became light once more and he winked. "Stay right there!"

She watched him dash off and released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Her palms were sweating and her heart was hammering in her chest, uncontrollable. Life flooded back into her as the tension left her limbs. His echoing footsteps faded as he got further away. She stood still for a moment, trying to calm her breath, before she looked at the key in her hand. She'd been holding it so tight it had left a mark in her skin. But she had it. Cautious, she approached the door one more time and tried the lock. She didn't necessarily want to go to the other side, but she was worried about the other four. The key didn't work. It wasn't a skeleton and it wasn't a key to the fifth floor, either. She would have to find its home later. Carefully, she took from her neck the golden cross she wore- a gift from her mother- and hung the key on the necklace, too. She clipped the necklace back together and tucked both down the front of her dress for safe-keeping.

Turning away from the gate, she wandered down the stairs, finding the next gate to have been snapped open. The corridors down here were considerably cleaner. She assumed it was probably the young man with the knife causing all, or most of, the damage. She stopped before the stairs leading down and tried the key. It would make sense to try and get to the generator. That would greatly help the others, as Tino held a key card. They could use the life to escape the knifer. However, the key didn't work. Disappointed, she wandered further down the corridor. More doors were open here, but a majority of them remained closed.

Hesitantly, she turned the corner and spotted a large archway. Erika approached and peered inside to see a small chapel with a large number of patients crouched amongst the seats, hands clasped together. None raised their heads at the sound of her footsteps. They were busy. There was something relaxing about the scene before her, compared to the initial fear she'd experienced throughout. Erika copied those around her, pushed her hands together, closing her eyes and imagining her message was being sent. She silently prayed for the four others on the floor above, for her father, who was likely lost elsewhere in this Hell, and for her-

A hand roughly clapped down on her shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Le gasp, as I sit here watching historical documentaries on the Tudors and the Stuarts.  
> \----------  
> Erika Zwingli: Liechtenstein  
> Francis Bonnefoy: France  
> Ludwig Beilschmidt: Germany  
> Antonio Carriedo, "Tino": Spain  
> Tino Väinämöinen  
> \----------


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, so having finished Bojack Horseman, I've now decided to watch Archer. I started it a long time ago and took a while to get into it, but now that I've started it up again I've actually been enjoying it a lot.

* * *

**"Erika?"**

She turned and looked into her brother's emerald eyes, so much like her own. She was so overjoyed to see him that she couldn't control the tears. She lurched forwards and wrapped her arms around him, sobbing against his plain grey shirt and clutching onto the soft, cottony material. Never in a million years had she expected him to make a reappearance in this wretched place and now that he was here, before her, she could be so glad that he was safe. Her prayers had been met before they'd been said.

"Are you OK?" he seemed baffled.

"I'm fine," she sniffed. None of the other patients paid them notice. "I was just worried about you."

"Where's Dad?" he asked, looking around.

"I don't know," she panicked. "We were separated and then the lockdown happened."

The only reason they'd split up in the first place had been because of Basch's request; however, she didn't want to be the one to point that out. It seemed he either didn't remember, or was choosing to ignore that fact, too, because he wordlessly took her hand and began to head out of the small chapel, in a different direction.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"To the roof," he answered. "I can get you to the lobby from there."

"The gate's sealed off," she shook her head, resisting him. "We can't even get to the floor above."

"Then how did you get down  _here_?" he asked.

"Some of the others broke a few gates down on the sixth and fifth floors," she explained. "I only managed to get here because... because someone who's now in danger bent the bars enough for me to fit through. But I don't think you could."

"Hmm, well..." he frowned. "I don't want to split up."

Erika didn't, either. She kept a tight hold of her brother's hand as he stood in the middle of the corridor.

"I need to ask, Erika..." he frowned. "Was it you who released the patients which caused the lockdown?"

She vigorously shook her head. "The lockdown happened before I did  _anything_."

"That's good," he said. "That means you're not responsible. What's happening on the upper floors? One of the doors to the third floor was broken by someone else, but I guess they haven't done that for the fourth floor."

"I don't know," she swallowed. "I... There's a lot of blood. People are dying up there."

"I had a feeling," he looked grim. "There are some dangerous people on the upper floor. I know a few faces, because they used to take us on walks around the grounds for exercise. There were always the people who were bound up in those jackets and you'd get the odd raver who would spout lunacy. I'm so glad you're fine."

"I didn't see Dad amongst the... the..." she shook her head. "I think he escaped the worst of it."

"I'm sorry you had to see what you did," he looked sad. "Let's just get you out of here."

"Apparently there's a generator of some kind in the basement," she said. "Do you possibly know a way down?"

"Last I checked, the gates leading down to the second floor were still locked and intact," Basch answered.

"Are we stuck?" she panicked. "Is there not a secret way out?"

Basch suddenly looked a little forlorn. "I'm sure there's another way. First of all, though, do you need to rest?"

She blinked. At a time like this? She doubted closing her eyes was a safe option.

"Because my room's still available and I'll keep watch," he offered. "I know it's not ideal, but it's getting late and a lot of patients on the first three floors may prefer to stick to routine and sleep."

Ideally, she could do with some sleep, but she wasn't sure that was the best of ideas given the current situation.

"I think I'll manage," she replied. "I wonder if there's a member of staff on one of the lower floors? It seems like there's less carnage here and they have keys. Or, at least, most of them do."

"I think the staff have all run to the lobby," his lip curled with disdain. "Anything to save their own skins."

"There was a nurse on the floor above," she frowned and desperately hoped the others were alive.

"Did he have keys?" Basch asked.

She shook her head. "He said he gave them to his colleague. But he still has his key card."

Basch shook his head in thought, before he began guiding her along the corridor. Confused, she allowed him to push her through the maze. This floor- the fourth floor- remained clean, with most of the doors remaining shut. They passed a door and she caught a glimpse of a grey form huddled on the bed, cowering into the corner of the room. It was such a sad sight and Erika truly pitied that people had been left to those kinds of mental states. Basch had taken her to the other side of the floor, where the stairs were still protected by the gates. Nothing had been broken or bent here and there were no signs that the madman with the knife was there. However, the gates to the third floor had been bent to the point that they had been broken. Erika could only assume that some form of extreme brute strength had caused that to happen and, quite frankly, she didn't want to find out more than that.

Without so much as a word, Basch pulled her downstairs, further through St Bedlam's than she had ever hoped to accomplish. Erika had believed in her mind that she would remain confined to the sixth floor. That would have been OK, had the gate not been broken open, as there weren't any patients originally on the sixth floor. Unfortunately, though, the gate had been broken and the most dangerous patients had escaped into the sixth floor. She hated to think her brother had also been given a 'Threat Level'. Holding his hand and following after him, with his familiar determination to protect her, was a comfort rather than a terror. Why was he even in St Bedlam's to begin with?

_It was because they laughed at him_ , she thought bitterly.  _Because they couldn't accept him for who he was. Who_ I  _was. It's their fault that Basch has to live like this._

The thoughts were too hard to dwell on. She felt her fingers automatically tighten over his hand. He cast her a reassuring smile, unaware of the past memories that lingered in her mind. The majority of doors on the third floor remained closed. It was clean here, nothing to worry about. The further down they got, the safer Erika felt.

Basch stopped before a door and pushed it open. It read Room 3-078.

"Go in," her brother ordered.

"What is this place?" she asked curiously as she wandered inside.

It was like every other room: small, compact and with only a bed in the corner. There weren't even sheets provided, just a plain mattress.

"This is my room," Basch replied, his voice strangely calm. "You'll be safe in here."

"Yes, we will," she turned just as the door closed. There was a click of the lock and she watched her brother nod knowingly towards her as he walked away from the door. "Basch?"

Erika rushed to the door and tried to open it, but there wasn't a proper handle from this side of the room.

"Basch!" she desperately pounded on the metal surface, even though she knew he wouldn't return.

There was nothing in this room that would allow Erika to harm herself or someone else. Frustrated, she threw her weight against the door, but that did nothing for her. She kept that up for a while, before the strength left her body and she had to force herself to give up. She hadn't wanted to, but there was nothing she could do. Basch had locked her in the room. Where he had obtained the key she had no clue, but she was stuck.

She breathed out an agitated sigh and stepped away from the door. She felt so noisy with her loud breaths and yells. If that didn't attract someone's attention, then she wasn't sure what could. Unsure of what to do with herself, she wandered to the back of the room and slumped down onto the bed. Her brain whirred, but she couldn't think of any means to escape. These rooms were specifically designed to keep people locked in, people far more dangerous and with far greater strength than she had. It was depressing thinking about it, because the more she thought, the less likely her escape seemed.

Tiredly, she rolled onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. Without the lights on, she genuinely was laid to rest in pitch black. She could hear, in the far distance, the faint drumming of rain on the surface. It was somewhat relaxing, since she felt doomed in her current situation. Now that she thought about it, the panic and the terror had made her exhausted. If she was locked in this room, there was a high chance that no one could get to her. She was probably very safe in that moment. She felt her eyelids getting heavier. Technically, it would be perfectly fine to fall asleep in such a moment. She felt her eyelids getting heavier. Technically, it would be perfectly fine to fall asleep in such a moment. She doubted Basch would be back any time soon. Erika yawned, leaning into the hard mattress. It was deathly cold, which didn't help with her fatigue. Her head felt gradually lighter and she was slowly losing awareness in her limbs. Her thoughts became strangely good humoured, finding comfort in the hard mattress underneath her...

...until there was a harsh sound in the distance. Erika stirred, squinting against the darkness. Her eyes remained bleary and she felt tired. It couldn't have been long since she fell asleep, since the darkness remained outside. It felt colder than before and she couldn't help but shiver. Her arms and legs felt stiff, but she had to assume the low temperatures combined with an uncomfortable mattress were the cause of that. How she had managed to sleep at such a time amazed her. Erika still felt moderately drowsy, but not as lethargic as she had been before.

Another set of dull taps filled the room. She blinked and looked around for the cause of the steely sound, before her eyes landed on the glass slat of the door.

"Basch?" she called out and watched someone step to the side to let her see them.

It was not Basch. He appeared to be a young man who may have been aged between twenty-one and thirty-five, with large golden-brown eyes and dark hair that loosely fell to his shoulders. He wore a friendly expression; she detected no malice from this individual. However, she could also see a glimpse of the grey clothes he wore, indicating he was one of the patients. She would have to be cautious, she assumed.

"Hello?" she frowned and watched his mouth move. So the doors were sound proof. That would've been good to know when she'd been conversing with the others.

Clambering from the bed, she straightened her clothes and approached the door. Was it possible this young man could get her out of here? Erika was feeling rather willing to be set free by any means in her current state. Being confined in a place like this wasn't exactly her ideal situation. Basch didn't know what kind of worry he had put her through.

"Can you help me?" she tapped the door, hoping he had a key to get her out.

The way he looked down, she could tell he was trying the handle on the other side. She already knew his attempts would be fruitless. He shook his head.

"Don't worry, then," she shrugged and stepped away from the door. For emphasis, she waved, hoping he would get the message.

Disappointment flooded his face. It was unexplainable, because she barely knew him, but any behaviour from the patients was likely to be unpredictable. He returned the gesture, lifting a hand, before wandering out of view. She was alone once more. Some part of her wished he had remained to keep her company, but since these corridors were getting more and more dangerous, she didn't want the young man to risk his own safety in an attempt to free her. Perhaps, if she saw him again, she would be able to thank him for his efforts?

Turning away from the door, she looked around the room once more. There truly was nothing in there. It would be enough to drive her into madness. Staring at the same four walls every day, doing nothing but sitting on the bed thinking, just living a sub-existence... Erika wouldn't be able to live this kind of life. To think Basch had spent day after day mulling over the cause of him being in that room. If she had know that this would be the rest of his life, she would've tried even harder to beg their father not to choose St Bedlam's, but instead to take them to Geneva where the natural scenery would be his therapy. This room... It only made her feel all the more sympathy for Basch, even if he had locked her in there.

She checked the time on her phone and was dismayed to see it was gone eight. They had been supposed to pick her mother up from the airport hours ago. She would be wondering where they were. Erika felt a pang of sadness that there was a big chance she would never see her mother again. Breathing in, she tried not to cry. Suddenly, the freezing little room made her feel a little claustrophobic. The number of emotions running through her mind was ridiculous. Desperately, she hoped Basch would return. It would be even better, if not a miracle, if he came back with their father in tow.

The locks clicked behind her.

"Basch!" she spun round, glad to finally be free.

Lightning struck just at the moment, illuminating the corridor behind the figure that stood in the doorway. The brightness momentarily reflected from the shock of white hair and enhanced the pale skin, making it almost just as sapped of colour as his hair. The colourless skin and hair gave him a somewhat ghostlike appearance. Erika's hear leapt a little in her chest, as her eyes skimmed along the grey clothes he wore. Another patient, except in his hands he held a strange key. It was gold in colour and looked a little grand to be a mere door key. Her eyes drifted to his face and found blood red eyes. She desperately didn't want to be afraid, but his appearance alone was somewhat unnerving and she was cornered in the little room.

"I'm afraid not," he replied and his voice was familiar. Could he be...?

She squinted, trying to place the sound of his voice. Rough, not gentle. That accent- she could remember.

"You're from earlier," she said.

He raised pale eyebrows and tilted his head. "So are you. We need to get moving."

She blinked slowly as he stepped into the room. "Moving? Where?"

Wordless, his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. He wasn't harsh, but his grip was firm. He turned and began to walk. There was something irate in his behaviour, something she couldn't discern. A part of her, deep down, was warning her to be very careful around this man. She couldn't explain what it was about him that was making her so wary.

"We need to get to the Control Room," he said.

Her heart flickered with fear. To go  _back_ , when the others had tried so hard to help her? She couldn't bear the thought. And besides... Basch had expected her to stay in that room and wait for his return.

"I'm sorry," she started pulling her wrist to loosen his grip. "I have to stay in that room, and I can't go back up there. It's not-"

"Safe?" his grip on her wrist tightened and this time, it was painful. "You think  _anywhere_ in this place is safe? Trust me, there are many patients capable of breaking down doors."

"How did you even get down here?" she demanded. "You were on the sixth floor and the gate from the fifth floor to the fourth was locked."

"I have a key," he reminded her, waving the delicate item around.

"What key is that?" she frowned, watching the way it glittered in the slight moonlight that crept in through the window.

She looked outside. When had it stopped raining? How long had she been asleep?

"It's a key to everywhere in the Male Ward," he replied.

"I need that," she blurted out, recognising it as her only way of escaping.

"And I need you to turn on your phone's light so we can see properly," he complained. "You can have it when you help me get inside the Control Room."

Her heart fluttered with hope. "Really?"

" _Ja_ , whatever," he rolled his eyes. "What's a key so important for, anyway?"

She decided not to tell him that it was the greatest chance of escaping St Bedlam's. If he hadn't recognised the key's importance, it was probably best to leave it at that. After all, this man  _was_ a patient, no matter how rational he seemed. It was best he wasn't let out of here. Rather than answer his question, she pulled her phone out of her bag and shone the light out across the hallway, the torch illuminating every nook and cranny.

"Much better," he grumbled and his eyes darted this way and that, constantly searching.

"Why do you need to get into the Control Room so badly?" Erika asked, knowing his was a hopeless mission, but she just wanted the key.

"To see the situation," he replied. "It could be fixable."

She wasn't sure how, as there had been a complete power cut, but she had to play along if she wanted the skeleton key. If the others were still alive... She could find them and help them get out, too, and along the way, she was bound to find her father.

Erika thought this deal was almost too good to be true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But is it? Find out next time! Will Erika get the key, and where has Basch gone? Why don't people ever stay put and just wait for help?  
> \----------  
> Erika Zwingli: Liechtenstein  
> Basch Zwingli: Switzerland  
> Patient at the Door: ???  
> Albino Patient: Prussia  
> \----------


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I spilt tea on my laptop, because I'm a klutz and the mouse pad just wouldn't work for about half an hour. I love my laptop and my heart almost failed because I really thought I'd broken it through one simple mistake. It's fine again now, and I moved all my important files on to a memory stick just in case!
> 
> It's fine though.

* * *

**She hurriedly allowed him to guide her along, the light from her phone's torch illuminating the entire corridor.** Their footsteps echoed noisily in the isolated space. Erika was only following this man because of the key he held in his hand; the one that would open all the doors in the Male Ward; the one that would ultimately be her opportunity to escape St Bedlam's. She didn't usually use people so blatantly, but as he had the clear agenda of using her to get to the Control Room, it was safe to say they were equal in where they stood.

The patient wasn't much for conversation. She doubted they offered social skills classes at St Bedlam's, but if so, this man wouldn't have passed any. He also wouldn't let go of her wrist. He kept a tight hold, not painful, but enough to prevent her turning back and racing down the corridors. In other words, he was eager to keep her in place. He paused before the gates and jammed the key into the lock. She watched as he turned the key and the locks shifted out of place. He pushed the door open and they stepped through. Simple as that. The patients was quick to usher her along and closed the door, locking it once more when they both stood on the other side.

"It's bet we make it difficult for the others to get around," he explained, red eyes flicking towards her.

Erika nodded uncomfortably and followed him up the flight of stairs. Now that he didn't have a hold on her, he kept consistently glancing over his shoulder to make sure she had stayed. Erika doubted she would try and leave, especially when the offer of the key remained.

They were up on the fourth floor once again. She would've rather stayed down here and fled to the chapel, but the patient insisted on opening the door to the next floor, where the crazed young man with the knife had been.

"I don't want to go up there," she hesitated on the stairs. "It's not safe."

"Nowhere in St Bedlam's is safe," he assured her. "We'll be fine, though."

Erika didn't want to risk being stabbed. She stayed still for too long. The albino lost his patience and grabbed her wrist once more, before dragging her up the next flight of stairs, to the gate that awaited them. The bent bars were the only indication that Ludwig had been there. Erika really hoped the others were alive. The faint smell of iron in the distance reminded her that she had essentially been dragged back into dangerous grounds.

Yet the patient pressed on. As the gates here had been ripped open, there was no need to fiddle with the locks. He dragged her up the last set of stairs, back to where she had stared at the sixth floor. The two bodies remained; one at the foot of the stairs, the other in the corridor. Erika swallowed as she passed them by, before raising her eyes towards the darkened corridor. The sky outside was murky and black, displaying no signs of life or light. It was dismal and it had also become extremely chilly at this stage. He marched her down the corridor so that the pair of them stood before the door to the Controls Room once more. She felt cold and glanced at him to see the patient was already staring at her expectantly with blood red eyes.

Erika took a deep breath and hovered her hands over the code. She was trying desperately to recall what it was. She remembered it began with an eight. Other than that, her mind was pulling a blank. Her palms were sweating, but she managed to keep her composure and stared at the code. There were only four digits, but she couldn't remember three of them. She tried to wrack her brains. Eight and then three digits.

"Come on," the patient urged, his gaze burning into the side of her head.

Erika glided her finger over the eight and pressed down. Perhaps she remembered the pattern. The numbers were relatively low on the pad. It suddenly clicked- 8097. But what if she didn't want the patient to get in the Control Room? She didn't even know what he wanted from whatever was inside there. She needed to make a decision fast, because it was likely that he was dangerous. Nurse Väinämöinen may have explained the basics of the Threat Levels, but that meant very little as this man had likely had a visitor with him to have started on the sixth floor. At the same time, though, he had a key to the entire Male Ward, a skeleton key that she needed.

"Do you know it?" an edge of impatience crept into his voice and Erika made her decision there and then.

If she refused, or 'forgot', the patient might attack her. Even worse, he might attempt to kill her. Erika typed in the code and opened the door, walking back into the dark Control Room. He had managed to get a hold of her phone whilst she'd been fiddling with the code- she must've passed it to him subconsciously- and now swung the beam of light this way and that, as if checking for other people. He put his hand on her back and guided her into the room. Erika's heart was hammering in her chest and she watched as the door shut behind them, confining her to a room with a patient.

"You have your Control Room now," she said, her voice meek and quiet with terror as he approached the controls panel and perused it. "So, I'll take the key."

He turned and looked at her, flashing the light in her face and lowering it a fraction when she squinted against the glare. "What?"

"They key," she gestured weakly. "You said I could have it."

"That's what I  _said_ ," he snickered and turned away.

Erika suddenly felt brutally cheated. She had hoped the patients of St Bedlam's might've been more psyched about trades and deals, but it seemed she had been wrong. Instead, she'd been duped and had gained nothing as a result. She doubted she had the skills to steal or take it forcefully from him, so she stood awkwardly in the background as he walked from side to side, examining every inch of the controls panel. She knew he was wasting his time, but chose to hold her tongue rather than help. It was petty, but Erika wasn't happy about having been tricked.

"It really is bust," he pondered. "There must be a way to shut down the emergency power system."

"Hmm?" she frowned.

"St Bedlam's had a lot of new technology invested into its security over the past twenty years," he explained and she wondered how he knew so much. "That includes an emergency power system, for the possibility of a patient escaping, as has happened. That means, electricity leaves this building, save for necessities such as heating and freezing. The aforementioned power is converted into the fence and gates that surround St Bedlam's, but also into the key card doors so that only members of staff are able to move freely around the facility. These key card doors are heavily reinforced, so it would be near impossible to break one down."

It was almost like he was talking to himself, the way he reviewed each fact as he scanned the controls panel. Erika felt he was reminding himself of the details rather than actually telling her.

"But there's a generator in the basement," the patient continued. "If the generator is still functioning, then we have a means of reversing the emergency lockdown and returning power to the entirety of the building. However, the freak power cut might mean... Shit."

"What?" she frowned. "What is it?"

She watched as he tensed, holding her phone tightly in one hand, the key in the other. Slowly, he turned around, his brows furrowing and a haunting expression on his face. The red eyes had darkened considerably and he looked both vacant and disturbed, as if he'd seen a ghost. The illuminating light from her phone only served to make him all the more eerie. It cast shadows across his face in all the wrong places.

"Hello?" she asked, uncertain.

"How did you get in here?" he demanded.

Erika froze and stared at him levelly. "I opened the door for us."

"You're not one of us," he continued, his grip on her phone tightening and a wild expression entering his face. "Stay away from me."

"Please calm down," she held up her hands and he flinched at the slight, slow movement. "You were saying something about a generator."

"Why am I here?" he directed the torch in all directions and his breathing had become panicked and heavy. "How did  _I_ get in here?"

"I just said," her skin prickled at the sight of his rapid deterioration. "I opened the door for us."

"Stay there," he warned, edging slowly away, until he reached the door.

"Wait, you have my phone," she blinked as he opened the door and ran off down the corridor without looking back. "I need that to see!"

Erika soon realised her situation was hopeless. She could never catch up with him and whilst he had the key, she could never follow him. It seemed she had lost her only source of light and wasn't about to be getting it back soon. The windows were barely useful, because they were all sealed shut and provided no light. She was stuck once more on the extremely dangerous sixth floor. The albino patient had fled downstairs and with him her torch was gone. She doubted she would see that again. Instead, Erika decided to try her luck with the machinery once more. Hurriedly, she approached the computers and traced her fingers along the buttons. Nothing seemed to work and the screens remained dark and unchanging. She breathed in quietly and turned away, staring into the darkness. That patient just  _had_ to have ran off with her phone in a time like this... The sky was rapidly darkening and the corridors were with it. It was so dark, she couldn't even see the end of the hallway now...

Ah, and what was that she felt panging in her gut? Erika lifted a hand to her stomach and swallowed. It was only natural that, having been there a good few hours, that she was beginning to feel hungry. She had last eaten around seven hours ago, which wasn't  _that_ bad once you compared it to nightmare survival stories of how people lasted an entire night alone in forests or various other natural places. However, Erika had lived a cosy, protected life and she was a creature of routine. She ate dinner at around this time every day, only to suddenly have everything flipped. Where did the patients eat? Was there even a safe route to make it there, or would she die trying? Erika shuddered at the thought of that. Certainly, she hadn't considered death to be a factor, but there were people locked in here who had potentially attempted to kill other people, or themselves. This wasn't a safe environment, whence the patients were enclosed in this area until the authorities arrived to solve the problems. No one was intended to escape and if Erika was hungry, others probably were, too. Alongside that, there was no one present to look after anyone. If the patients died, then the patients died. Erika had the feeling that there was a certain lack of empathy towards them at the end of the day. The fact that she was in this section of St Bedlam's was a fault in itself. Most others were probably safe in the lobby, which was where the two technicians had planned to go. She briefly wondered whether they had made it there, when she heard a noise.

She stopped before the computers, staring into space and hoping she had imagined it. It was a tapping noise, as if someone were drumming their finger swiftly and rhythmically against a plastic surface. She wanted it to be the wind howling against some kind of outside, architectural structure, such as a pipe, but she knew exactly what she was hearing. She even pinched herself, hoping she was imagining it, but her ears didn't deceive her. She most certainly was hearing someone's footsteps. Erika prayed they belonged to a woman, but the heavy footfalls already implied that wasn't the case. As she was in the Male Ward, it was only natural that a man should be approaching her. The question was... if it was the knife wielder or someone new entirely.

Slowly turning her head, dread replacing the hunger she felt in her gut, Erika's eyes landed on a large shape that slowly approached her. Because of the darkness and the distance in which the man was, she couldn't make out any features to confirm whether he was recognisable or not. He didn't  _seem_ to be holding a knife, but that meant very little when she couldn't see. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she felt very uncertain as to what her survival chances were. Should she speak, or should she let fate take its course? Would he speak to her? Was there a possibility that he was an employee and that he understood how the technical computers and everything worked? She knew all these silent, unspoken questions were wishful thinking, but when one was unsure about these things, it became perfectly rational to stand there and hope for the most optimistic possibility.

He was close enough for her to see him now and she could confirm that he wasn't familiar. Yes, he was tall, with broad shoulders and a build that indicated he could easily overpower her, but there was something about his expression that... wasn't ominous in the slightest. He wore a smile on his face and there was almost relief in his eyes as he saw her standing, terrified by the computer systems. His blonde hair suddenly stood in the stark contrast to the darkness, spiky and bright, and his blue eyes shone with joy at the very sight of her. There was nothing threatening about his appearance. Even though he was dressed in the grey, plain uniform of the patients rather than employees, there was something about him that promised he would be far nicer than the young man with the knife.

"Hello," he said with a smile. "What are  _you_ doing here?"

She hesitated. He sounded so... normal. The way he spoke was so casual as if he were another person on the street, rather than a patient in the morbid St Bedlam's.

"Do you talk?" he prompted, reaching the doorway and shooting her a curious stare.

Nervously, she flicked her gaze from side to side, deciding on what to say. In no way did Erika want to accidentally offend him. He seemed nice, so she didn't want to risk him turning against her. Potentially, he was a friendly face to be trusted. At this present moment, she didn't care what he had been locked in for. He looked like he was capable enough to remain coherent.

"I'm stuck," she admitted, choosing honesty. It was never good to meet a person with a lie. "There's a big lockdown and I have no idea where my father is."

"That  _is_ a problem," he frowned. "I was wondering why someone like yourself was wandering around here alone. It's not exactly... safe. Is your father like me? A patient?"

"Uh, no," she shook her head. "My brother is, but I... I think he'll be fine. My dad came to visit with me."

"Oh, your brother's in here?" he looked sympathetic. "That sucks. And you don't know how the computers work? I'm afraid only a member of staff would only be able to help you with those kinds of things, and even then, they're not that helpful. I've never been great with computers myself, otherwise I would've offered."

"I see," she cringed, glancing towards the computers. She believed the most sensible course of action was to just agree with whatever it was he said. That was the simplest way to avoid causing offence.

"Hey, kid, what's your name?" the patient grinned, walking into the room and approaching her.

Even as he neared her, she desperately tried not to flinch away. If she showed any signs of fear, he could get upset and lash out. She wasn't prepared to run that kind of risk. She understood how emotionally involved with themselves many of the patients likely were. Basch was no different. He was only here in the first place because he had allowed his emotions to dictate his actions.

"Erika," she swallowed, holding his gaze as he peered at the computers alongside her.

"Well, it's great to meet you,  _Erika_ ," the patient beamed. "I'm..." He hesitated. "I'm Matthias. If I remember right, my surname is Køhler, but don't quote me on that."

The purpose of his introduction baffled her. It wasn't something she would've expected, but then again... this place wasn't exactly somewhere that conformed to normalities.

"I've got a good idea,  _Erika_ ," the patient, Matthias Køhler, grinned. "I'll be your brother until you find a way out of here!"

"What?" she blinked.

"Your brother isn't here to look out for you right now," Matthias enthused. "I've always wanted to be a big bro and I believe an older sibling should always look out for his younger siblings. So, I'll look after you whilst you're here!"

Erika stared at this stranger, wondering why he would want to stay with her. However, she wasn't about to question what was running through his head because she likely didn't want to know.

Instead, she offered him a shaky smile as the pair of them stood beside the computers.

"Yes, that would be great, thanks," her voice sounded weak.

"Where do you want to go?" Matthias Køhler cheerfully asked.

Erika paused, realising she may have obtained a valuable ally in this dismal and lonely place. "We need to get to the basement."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why is Denmark such a bab? And Liechtenstein is a big mood for me in this chapter, being petty when things don't go quite as planned. I'm probably one of the most petty people on this planet and, for some reason, I take deep pride in that. I think it's because it's a true mark of stubbornness and a refusal to give up and abandon my beliefs, aha! Petty I shall always be.  
> \----------  
> Erika Zwingli: Liechtenstein  
> Albino Patient: Prussia  
> Matthias Køhler: Denmark  
> \----------  
> 01) I don't think I've ever explained this is previous chapters, so I'll take a moment to talk about Liechtenstein and Switzerland's names. 
> 
> Switzerland is a bit more easy to talk about, since his name is canon. A lot of fans refer to him as Vash and I sometimes feel like I'm the only one who used his Romanised name, Basch. Based on the Hetalia Wiki, the kana Hima used for Switzerland's human name is 'ba', so Basch is the one I use.
> 
> For Liechtenstein, I use Switzerland's surname due to their family relations, given that this is a Human AU. Most Hetalia fans call her Lili, but I've never been a fan of that and since Hima had some first name suggestions for her, I thought I'd follow those. Out of Erika, Sisia, Eva and Elise, I liked Erika the most and I find it's just stuck!
> 
> 02) Another character note refers to Liechtenstein's age. She doesn't have a canon age, like Switzerland, so I normally make her 15. This is because Hima called her a "young lady" rather than a girl. For me, "young lady" is generally around 14 years old and the maximum varies on how old the other person is. For example, Hima is in his 30s, so he could call a woman younger than him "young lady" as a polite term. However, since Liechtenstein is younger than Swizterland, for me, she had to be aged between 14-17. I chose 15, because she's friends with Hungary and Ukraine, who are mature, but she's also very girlish and naive!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going back to uni soon and from there on, it'll be work until the rest of my days~ sigh. Luckily, my exams are really spread out compared to last year, which means I have time to relax a bit more and pace my revision. I had 8 exams last year in the space of 2 weeks so it was a mad rush to get them all revised for!

* * *

**Now that she had someone with her, St Bedlam's suddenly seemed far less intimidating.** The presence of another made the possibility of reaching the lobby seem all the more achievable. Moreover, Matthias seemed extremely willing to help her. He was taking his role as "big brother" extremely seriously, by keeping a close eye on her and also referring to her as his younger sister. She wasn't wholly sure how to react to that, but since it was only a temporary measure, she could tolerate it. In truth, she just wanted to find her brother and father and escape St Bedlam's. This place, quite frankly, seemed awful, and she would rather find a new place for Basch to live. She was fairly sure her father would agree with her.

She didn't know where Antonio was, or the others, and she wasn't even certain that she would see them again, but she was determined to find the basement as he had suggested they originally do. If she was to find them, she would definitely allow them to come along. That was... if Matthias didn't betray her just as the other patient had done. He seemed rather adamant to protect her in the current moment, but the albino patient had been just as determined to reach the Control Room, only to then change his mind completely. She didn't want to trust Matthias, although she was reluctant to be left alone. For now, she would just have to accept his presence.

The hallways were as darkened as before, but Erika wasn't sure where to go. She needed to reach the basement, which meant she  _needed_ to get to the ground floor. However, there was a very dangerous patient currently on the fifth floor, if she stood correct, unless he had travelled between floors. She also recalled the gates on the fifth floor were inaccessible to someone of Matthias' size. She had only been able to get through because of Ludwig bending the bars. That meant they were currently confined to the sixth and fifth floors, unless she were to leave Matthias behind. At the same time, the dangerous patient with the knife was also stuck on these floors, as was the patient who had stolen her phone. None of this she had explained to Matthias, and she wasn't entirely sure if she should. After all, these could be his friends she was potentially complaining about.

So, she held her mouth shut as they wandered down the hallway. His question on wondering where they were headed was still unanswered, because she didn't know. Erika had never felt so uncertain in her whole life. The pair of them paused before the stairs that led either up to the roof or down to the fifth floor. The bodies remained, although Matthias didn't react at all. Erika still felt slightly nauseous looking at them so chose to avert her gaze and hold her breath. She approached the gates leading to the roof with caution and lightly curled her fingers around the bars, tugging at them with a frown on her face. Nothing happened. They were locked and she didn't have the strength to move them.

"Locked, huh?" Matthias tapped his chin. "Yeah, they kept everything in super high security here."

She had never expected the patients to be so aware of the fact that they were locked away in an asylum. It seemed, though, that the members of staff weren't afraid to keep anything from these patients. Erika believed with certainty that there were definitely some people in here who were never going to leave. Matthias wasn't one of them. In fact, she rather preferred to place him in the same category as Basch: healing with the possibility of leaving in the next few years. They both seemed capable of blending into society and interacting safely with other people, as well as being able to live alone and look after themselves.

"Yeah... there was a visitor who's on the floor below... I think..." she pondered. "He could bend the bars."

She cast him a shy glance. He took the hint and attempted to pull the bars apart. He strained for a while, but he wasn't nearly as bulky as Ludwig had been. For sure, he was strong and his physique was imposing, but his strength wasn't enough to pull the bars apart. Something told Erika that that wasn't a design fault. Matthias turned to her with a shrug.

"It doesn't really matter," she said. "We need to get down to the basement, which would mean heading downstairs."

"Oh, well... the gates are open here," Matthias gestured to the poor door, ripped off its hinges by some kind of inhuman strength. "We should go down."

"I'm not entirely sure," she hesitated. Beforehand, she'd at least had her phone to light up the way, but now she didn't even have that.

"What do you mean?" Matthias tilted his head to the side.

Of course it didn't sound dangerous to him. He was one of the people who had essentially escaped in the first place. She had to remind herself that, even though he claimed her as his new sibling, he was still a patient at St Bedlam's. Not only that, but the lowest floor he could possibly be on was the fifth floor.

In fact, there was something she desperately needed to confirm...

"Do you have a visitor today, Matthias?" she asked casually, ignoring his question.

"Nope," he replied, and that was all she needed to hear.

Had he said 'yes', she could've hoped she was walking around with someone who was mainly a harm to themselves. Whilst that sounded cruel, that was better than walking around with the actual person he was. For sure, Matthias seemed to be very nice, but Erika had to guess he was more unpredictable than he looked. She recalled the system Tino had kindly explained to them, about how most dangerous patients, Level Fives, resided on the fifth floor, whilst the tamest patients, Level Ones, were on the first floor. Matthias would never have been able to fit through the bars to the fourth floor, which meant most of the building was already confined to him. Whilst all patients with visitors were taken to the sixth floor, Matthias wasn't supposed to have a visitor today, which meant he wouldn't have been there when the lockdown occurred. In other words, Matthias had a Threat Level 5, thus one of the most dangerous people she could encounter at St Bedlam's. To put it in its most basic form, Erika was probably wandering aimlessly around with a maniac by her side. The only thing that consoled her and kept her going in her current moment was that he had taken a liking to her and was therefore unlikely to harm her.

"Why?" he definitely had a curious mind...

"I was just wondering," she smiled.

"No one's visited me in a long time," he added, and she wanted to slap herself. What if this was a touchy subject? "Not that it matters. There's always someone here to rely on, and I've got you now. We're siblings."

He was taking this extremely seriously, which worried her. She decided to humour him.

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Do you have a nickname?" he chatted excitedly. "I have a nickname. A few people call me Matt."

"I don't have a nickname," she cast him a brief glance as she pondered on either exploring the rest of the sixth floor to find the albino phone thief, or to risk the fifth floor and hope she didn't encounter the knife wielder. "But I'll call you Matt."

"That's good," he grinned, before motioning towards the stairs. "If we want to get to the basement, we'll need to go down."

"I'm not sure," she hesitated. "There was someone down there..."

"There's a lot of people everywhere," he pointed out. "Besides, if we can go down, they can come up."

Erika made her decision. "There was someone on this floor who stole my phone. It has a light on it, which will make navigation a lot easier, and if I can get a connection on it, then I can call the authorities for help. You might've passed him on the way to the Control Room, actually. He was albino."

"Oh, I saw him," Matthias said with indifference. "Now that you mention it, he  _was_ holding something funny that glowed."

"Did you see which way he went?" she asked quickly.

"No," he shook his head. "But I didn't hear him run down the stairs, so he must've stayed on this floor. You want to find  _him_?"

"I need my phone back," she said. Erika was adamant that it would be useful to keep on her person. She didn't want to be stuck by the time the power was back and a device was needed.

"Staying on the sixth floor, it is..." he murmured and followed after her as they wandered past a staircase.

She felt she had made the right decision. Erika wasn't ready to face the music. A part of her was scared that she'd find the dead face of someone familiar. It was tolerable when the face was unrecognisable, but now that she'd met some people, she wasn't keen on seeing them suddenly dead. Even unfamiliar faces were enough to make her feel nauseous.

The putrid stench of iron filled her nose as they turned the corner. The bloodbath downstairs had been one thing, but it looked like bodies had been dragged here and dumped. Her eyes raked across the corpses of not just employees, but also visitors. A little girl with her stomach cut right open particularly caught Erika's eye. She couldn't have been more than eight years old. Sickened, she looked away and silently prayed that wouldn't be her by the time the morning arrived. More people were covered in lacerations, having been mowed down by some unstoppable force. The cuts, the wounds; they could only be the work of the knife wielder and that terrified her. She had stood less than two metres away from him.

Matthias had followed her gaze to the little girl's corpse. "How old are  _you_ , Erika?"

"Fifteen," she answered, glad to take her mind away from the dead.

"Oh, I'm twenty," he sounded contemplative. "So, we could  _actually_ be siblings, you know? What about your brother? How old is he?"

"Eighteen," she swallowed, touching a door and peering inside to see a waiting room very much like the one she'd spoken to Basch in.

"We could  _all_ be siblings," his tone brightened with joy. "You, me and...?"

"Basch."

" _Basch_ ," he repeated. "And as I'm the oldest one, I get to look out for the  _both_ of you. Except..."

His footsteps stopped and Erika paused. Turning slowly, she saw him standing in the centre of the corridor, staring down at the ground, his fists clenched and shaking. His eyes had filled with a sudden, terrifying darkness. The change in mood was very similar to the albino patient's; unpredictable and sudden. A chill passed through Erika and she wondered if she could outrun him. She was fast, for sure, because her small size made her more agile, but that was the thing. Erika was short and she doubted her limited strides would be able to outpace his long ones.

"Matt?" her voice sounded so small and meek in this place.

"I didn't keep Basch out of here," he growled and struck the wall with his fist.

Erika watched in terror as the plaster collapsed under his strength, his balled hand sinking into the wall with unknown power. Her legs felt stiff and she was rooted to the spot like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Basch ended up in this place because  _I_ wasn't there for him," he yelled, frustration lining his face in a mixture of hatred, anger and grief. "I can't believe that. I'm supposed to be the older brother, yet Basch is here."

"Don't worry, Matt," she assured him hastily. "There's nothing you could've done, OK? Basch made a mistake, but he realises this now. This isn't your fault."

"I should've tried harder, Eri," he choked and she could see the tears forming in his eyes. "Basch now has to stay in this fucking place and it's because he didn't have a good example ahead of him.  _I've_ done this to him! If I wasn't such an idiot, Basch would have had a model brother to follow after. He wouldn't have become like me if I had just kept a clear head."

The sudden rush of emotion was definitely unsettling. Matthias was speaking as if he'd known Basch for years, even though the two had never met as far as Erika was concerned. It definitely made her skin crawl to a certain degree.

"I'm so stupid," he suddenly roared, striking the door nearest to him with the same worrying strength as before.

The door rocked on its hinges, but refused to fall.

"Basch would be going to university if I hadn't fucked up!" Matthias' voice echoed down the corridors and Erika began to worry he would attract the knife wielder's attention.

He beat the door again but, this time, the metal cracked and it was thrown from its frame. It collapsed, a slight splintering dent on the front from Matthias' attack. Erika blinked as it crashed to the floor in a plume of dust, before settling in a motionless heap on the ground. How had Matthias suddenly managed to do that kind of thing? It worried her at how quick to anger he was.

"Matt, listen to me," she did the stupidest thing ever and approached him. "You need to know that this isn't your fault."

She gently took his curled fists in her hands and clasped on tightly, just eager not to let him make more noise.

"Basch may not have had you around, but he did for the  _first_ eighteen years of his life, OK?" she decided to play along. "And we've had all sorts of good times together, haven't we? Basch only made the mistake he did because there are horrible people in this world, and he didn't have the emotional strength to ignore them. It's not your fault, Matt."

He gave a shaky laugh. "You're too nice, Erika. I forgot we weren't actually related, yet here you are, pretending to be my family. It means a lot."

Once again, the change in behaviour. She was definitely going to have to be careful with Matthias.

"It's not a problem, but you've hurt your hands," she commented, noting the dark bruises in the faded moonlight. She had to assume at least one splinter had broken his skin, too, but since she couldn't see for sure, she didn't say anything.

"Oh, have I?" he relaxed his fists and spread his fingers. "I'll be alright. Where's Basch right now?"

"The third or fourth floor," she said. "He kind of wandered off. We'll find him alongside my dad."

"And then we can all leave this place together," he wiped his face with a smile.

Erika hesitated. She didn't know how long this sibling bond would last with Matthias, but what happened, happened.

"Yeah," she returned his smile. "Now, we need to find my phone."

Matthias nodded and started helping her push open doors and looking inside for something interesting. Most of them were visitor rooms. A few of them had dead bodies inside. Erika wasn't quite ready to try searching any security guard bodies for cards, but she knew they weren't exactly going anywhere. If she developed iron guts, then perhaps she would make a swift return to this part of St Bedlam's. For now, though, she was betting on finding someone  _alive_.

After some time searching, she managed to locate a small Staff Only room. The door hadn't been locked properly in the owner's haste to escape once the lockdown occurred. That was beneficial for them, because it meant that, if there was anything to find, then she would try and find it. She pushed open the door and motioned for Matthias to follow her inside. He did. Carefully, she picked her way across the room. It was extremely dark, but she could make out a few shapes. Her foot knocked a potted plant over and she stubbed her toe on the desk. It was agony, but at the same time, she held her breath and felt around the desk. Her fingers glided across a keyboard.

Her heart soared at the prospect of a computer being here. She pressed down and watched a screen light up before her. It was blue and asking for her to log in. Her heart sank. The username read "vpop13" but asked for a password. She didn't know it. Without that, she wouldn't be able to get anywhere on the computer. She tried generic things, like "bedlam", "stbedlam", "asylum", "password" and "passcode". None of them worked. She hadn't especially expected them to, but she couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"You're right," Matthias said from the darkness and she could just about see his tall shape on one side of the room, inspecting something. "It would be much easier to look around with a phone light."

She couldn't have agreed more. She made a mental note to come back here when she had her phone and vpop13's password. Standing, she led Matthias from the Staff Only room and left the door ajar. She was afraid it might automatically lock when closed and since she didn't have a key or a special card, she didn't want to run the risk of getting locked out of such a potentially important room. After all, the computer systems could contain instructions on how to reverse the lockdown, thus allowing her to escape.

Matthias and Erika continued down the corridor until they turned the corner and saw yet another long stretch before them. Once more, there was a set of stairs. This time, though, she couldn't determine whether the albino had run down them this time. The roof was still closed off, but the dark murky stairs leading to the fifth floor looked foreboding and unfriendly. Erika begun to realise she didn't necessarily have a choice on where they went.

The only way was down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I've achieved an entire chapter using only two characters. Matthias is definitely an interesting one, and I feel like I've made a good call with choosing Denmark as the faux brotherly figure.  
> \----------  
> Erika Zwingli: Liechtenstein  
> Matthias Køhler, "Matt": Denmark  
> \----------


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't want to go back tomorrow, but I have to... I have an essay due in 9 days, which I haven't started, and my exams start in around 16 days. I really need to get a grip on my life, but it's kinda... boring! My life is boring, heh. I'm more invested in the fictional world.

* * *

**She knew it was a crazy move to go to the fifth floor.** If the knife wielder was on the same floor as them, they would've seen him by now. Erika was a realist. However, they had not and the only other possibility was that he was on the fifth floor, unless another gate had been ripped open, allowing him access to elsewhere. She didn't want to go down. That would be nuts. However, she had no choice. Erika believed her phone was long gone, until she saw the albino again. She didn't know when that would be.

"We going down?" Matthias almost sounded confused. "What about your phone?"

"He probably went downstairs," she admitted.

"OK, then," Matthias shrugged, because it had been her decision in the first place to remain on the sixth floor.

Slowly, she held on to the railway and began making a gradual descent down. Each step seemed like she was nearing her funeral. She was terrified. She could feel her heart beating and pleading in her chest not to go further. Erika ignored her survival instincts and instead pressed further. Her footsteps echoed down the stairs and she could hear Matthias following behind her. It was still extremely dark, although she had no idea what the time was now that she no longer had her phone. Erika was amazed at how much she truly relied on it.

The corridors were darkened and eerie, because the moonlight had become even more limited since last time. When she glanced towards a window, she noted how cloudy it had become. The white eye in the sky leered back at her, but it was half concealed by clouds. Erika was dismayed at that, because it meant her only source of light was rapidly disappearing. How long would it be before it began to rain more? Or when the storm returned? If there was a power outing, then surely a storm would be connected to that? She was met with silence, which she found disturbing. The silence meant anyone could be hiding.

"Where to?" Matthias asked loudly, or far too loudly for her comfort.

"Anywhere," Erika frowned. "We need a key to the floor below."

"Are we stuck on this floor?" he looked thoroughly disappointed. "That sucks."

"There should be some people on this floor that I know," Erika said. "Unfortunately, we got separated... but if they're still down here, then one of them is an employee who works here. He might be able to help us. He has a key card."

"Oh, that's good," Matthias seemed disinterested in what she was saying.

Peering out of the window, she briefly wondered what time it was. The sky was dark and unchanging. St Bedlam's would look so more comforting in the morning, but it was such a long wait until the sun came out. Even then, it was a cloud November and it wasn't exactly going to be bright when the morning arrived. She couldn't say for sure if she would even see the light of night day. Once she stepped off of the staircase, she glanced this way and that. She couldn't see anyone, but anyone could've been there. The thoughts terrified her. Erika walked out and saw the slightly bent bars that Ludwig had left as his parting gift. No matter how much she tried to convince herself, she couldn't leave Matthias behind. That only felt cruel and Erika prided herself on being moral. That also meant, though, that they no longer had a key.

What was it that Tino had said? His colleague, who usually patrolled the fourth floor, had borrowed his set of keys. How could it be that they were so close yet so far away? If only she had that ring of keys, only then would she be able to travel across the entire institution with relative ease. It also meant she could find Basch and her father then just  _leave_.

"Huh, this place is looking pretty bad now," Matthias said, gazing all around him. "Is this from that person you were trying to avoid?"

"Possibly," she shrugged, deciding not to give the full details.

The pair of them wandered further down the corridor, away from the doors. She noted how Matthias touched the bars, fingers trailing along their bent surfaces. There was curiosity in his eyes as he stared at the bars, but he said nothing. Where had the others run to? She could only question that, but as each floor was set, roughly, in a circular formation, you would always come across someone if you kept wandering in circles. The way St Bedlam's was designed was perhaps a protective method of confusing the patients. It certainly gave the illusion of progress when nothing was happening.

"And they're dead, huh?" he inspected each body carefully as they passed them by.

Erika didn't answer. His strange fascination with the corpses of innocents disturbed her. She wasn't going to mention it though. To him, death was possibly normal. After all, St Bedlam's was a particular institution that houses patients that had had previous violent tendencies, either to themselves or other people around them. In other words, Matthias must've attempted some kind of suicide or homicide to have ended up in here. To him, blood and guts on the floor likely wasn't all that of a problem.

"Did you know any of them?" he pressed, strolling along.

"I hope not," she replied.

He glanced at her, but then chose not to speak. Perhaps it was best not to develop on the conversation that dwelled on dead bodies. She gingery stepped over them, deciding she would rather not know more. Matthias followed, because that was all there was left to do. There seemed to be no one and nothing on this floor. She would've thought they'd see more patients, but technically that was the case... only they were dead. Their scratchy grey uniforms were stained with blood and they remained unmoving. How one man could cause a massacre, she had no idea, but she was fairly sure this was the work of the knife wielder. Her skin crawled at the memory of him- unlike Matthias, he had perhaps not mastered the art of appearing normal. The way his blue gaze had  _bored_ into her, as if she were a different species entirely

Erika idly pushed open the doors, peering in where it seemed fit to do so, her gaze briefly sweeping across every square inch to be seen. Most of the doors here had been opened, thus releasing the patients who had been inside. It was somehow saddening to think many of these people had achieved their freedom, only to then get stabbed and slaughtered. Matthias wandered ahead to check more doors in the distance. She was hoping to find at least  _one_ of the others, although to find them alive was perhaps wishful thinking. His searching elsewhere would make things a little quicker.

"Hey."

It was a whisper so quiet she almost missed it, but she turned her head this way and that, trying to catch sight of someone in the darkness. She hoped it was a friend. A slight movement of the door alerted her attention to someone crouching in one of the rooms. Despite the limited light, she managed to catch sight of the blonde hair of Francis, his cornflower blue eyes wide and staring at her. He motioned for her to come closer and she did.

"Come in," he hissed, grabbing her wrist and pulled her into the room.

Erika stumbled forwards and watched as Francis clicked the door shut. Barely a sound. She could see he was rigid with fear and watched as he fumbled with his phone and turned the light on. The room was illuminated with a pale ghostly glow, but it was light. She was almost tempted to reach up and take the phone from his hands.

"Francis!" she breathed, once she realised the meaning of seeing him crouched before her. She didn't get a chance to utter another sound, because he clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide with hear.

"Why are you  _back_?" he demanded in the quietest voice possible.

"I encountered a patient on the fourth floor and... I couldn't stay down there," she felt it wasn't worth mentioning she had reached the third floor.

His shoulders slumped and he raked his hands through his hair with a groan. "We're doomed, if even you can't escape this place. I've just been sitting here, waiting to die..."

"Where are the others?" she asked with a frown.

"I don't know," he said solemnly. "I haven't seen... or heard them. As I said, I've just been here this whole time. I separated from the others relatively quickly once Tino ran off like he did. All I know is that Antonio was behind me and Ludwig... was probably at the back."

"Did you see where they went?" she asked carefully.

"Past this door, I would assume," Francis shrugged guiltily. "I don't know. I stopped listening. I was  _scared_."

"I know," she rested a hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault. I don't blame you."

"Me neither," he snorted with laughter. "At least you just missed that big guy I saw pass by now."

For a moment, she was clueless as to who he meant, but then it clicked.

"Erika?" she heard Matthias call out. She could hear the underlying panic in his voice ad wondered if this was her opportunity to escape him.

No. Matthias had done nothing wrong to her. He had even helped her a little bit. Besides, his intimidating frame would probably be enough to make most patients keep their distance.

"I'm right here, Matt!" she called out and watched Francis pale.

"What are you doing?" he clamped both hands over her mouth and nervously glanced towards the door. "Are you trying to get us killed?"

She tried to tell him it was OK, but her words were muffled by his palms. Wrapping her hand around one wrist, she managed to pull his hand away just as Matthias opened the door with a smile.

"What are you- oh, geez," Matthias looked ready to attack to see Francis with Erika.

"No, wait!" Erika waved her hands defensively as the two stared at one another. "You're both good, OK?"

Francis bristled, recoiling from her and Matthias, shrinking further back in the room. Matthias remained in the doorway, giving him a hard stare.

"Who is this?" he asked. "Was he hurting you?"

"No, this is Francis," she gestured. "He's one of the people I mentioned earlier."

She watched Francis pass a hand over his face in greeting, before lowering his eyes once more to the ground. She could tell he wasn't comfortable having a patient this close, but he knew better than to say anything.

"Ah, so not Basch," Matthias tapped his chin in thought.

"This is Matthias, Matt for short," Erika hastily told Francis, who shot her an exasperated stare. "I promise that he's perfectly nice."

"Well, at least close the door," Francis said, antsy. "Our voices are carrying."

"Is there someone we're hiding from?" Matthias asked, closing the door and enclosing all three of them in such a limited space.

"Yes," Francis said. "A psycho with a knife."

Erika winced once the words were out. She had believed Matthias (and other patients) would be sensitive towards words like that. It was harsh of Francis, but even so... 'psycho' was definitely a word Erika would use to describe the knife wielder. Matthias responded positively. He grimaced and nodded.

"I see, yes... I can see why that would cause some altercations," he frowned. "But you have a phone."

"What?" Francis cast a glance at Erika.

"Well, Erika and I need a phone to look around an office we found upstairs," Matthias explained, sounding very rational. Erika knew better. "Erika's was stolen by another patient."

"Oh, I see," Francis frowned. "Is this like the basement, then? Another lost hope?"

"We don't have a password for the computer," Erika admitted. "But there might be something else in there that could help us. We couldn't see anything before."

"We're all going to die anyway," Francis said shakily, rising to his feet. "I don't know where the others are, but if I'm realistic, they're dead. Might as well die with other people, right?"

"We won't die," Matthias said adamantly.

Francis shot him an uncomfortable glance. Erika had a feeling it would take him some time before he became accustomed to having one of the patients with them. For her, it was slowly becoming a norm. She had had three approach her, if she included Basch. In the end, Francis glanced at her for instruction. She had no clue as to why it had come to this, but Erika decided it would just have to be. Confidently, she approached the door, closing her fingers around the door handle, until she heard someone whistling. She froze at the doorway and Francis turned off the phone's light, plunging them back into darkness. She doubted either Ludwig, Tino or Antonio would come strolling down the hallway, whistling. It couldn't be...

She should've expected several chance encounters with the knife wielder. They were, after all, enclosed in a small area with him. In fact, they were lucky to have made it as far as they did. Matthias opened his mouth to speak, but Francis was quicker. He dashed forward and clamped a hand over the patient's mouth, urgently shaking his head. Silence ensued and Matthias didn't try to speak again.

"Hello?" the drawl of the knife wielder drifted through the air. "I heard  _voices_ , bu it's neither me nor the Lord, so it must be someone else."

He was baiting for fear. Erika remained where she stood at the door, fingers on the handle, sweat forming all over her body. She was waiting for a moment when he opened the door and stared back at her. The knife wielder clucked his tongue and then stopped walking. She no longer heard him at all and that only worried her more. She at least wanted some idea of where he was. Her ignorance brought fear pounding in her chest.

"Impure..." the knife wielder muttered, so close by, closer than before, and then she heard him walk further down the corridor.

Instantly, the tension left the room of three. Francis released Matthias from his grip and chanced a glance towards Erika, who remained by the door, exalting in silent relief. She couldn't believe what had just happened. It was amazing that he had just walked past. She waited until even his footsteps drifted away, before turned to the others and motioning towards the door. Francis shook his head, wanting to remain in the comfort of this small room, whereas Matthias nodded to signal their leaving. As much as Erika wanted to stay here with Francis, she knew they couldn't hide forever. As the albino patient had initially told her, someone would eventually find them, and she didn't want to find out if there was someone worse than the knife wielder in St Bedlam's. She opened the door slowly and cautiously, pushing a body aside as she did so. The corpse was heavy, which meant she could only get the door so far, but she managed to slip through, as did Matthias and Francis.

Erika noted how Francis remained extremely close to Matthias. Somehow, the level of trust had risen. It took a life threatening situation to develop a bond, it seemed... The outcome could've been completely different had the knife wielder heard them and opened the door. They would likely be dead. As strong as Matthias was, there was only so much you could do against a knife when you were bare handed. As far as Erika was concerned, Matthias was without a weapon.

She was aware, judging on the footsteps, that the knife wielder had gone in the opposite direction of the staircase. That was a stroke of fortune, because they didn't want to end up following him. She silently led the way, carefully treading past bodies on the corridor. Francis blanched at the sight of them, lifting a hand delicately to his mouth, eyes wide and limbs trembling. The three of them picked their way past hand and foot and head, until they arrived at the dreaded staircase once more. The bars were bent to the fourth floor and the gate was hanging from its hinges to the sixth floor. The office awaited them.

Rather than cautiously skim up the stairs, Erika found herself in a hurry. She didn't want to find herself caught by someone dangerous whilst on a staircase. It wasn't exactly flexible place to be compared to the corridors, especially not with two other people behind her. She arrived back on the sixth floor corridor, a place that was gradually becoming familiar to her. She was glad to have found Francis. It gave her hope that the other three were alive and just hiding somewhere on the floor below. It seemed the knife wielder had still been looking for people and she was eager to ride on hope. Whilst it could be argued that he had been searching for Francis, she wanted to keep in her head that he had the goal of finding  _all_ of them. She knew it wasn't  _her_ whom he'd been looking for. As far as the knife wielder was concerned, she was on the floor below, somewhere he couldn't reach.

Once back on the floor, she kept a cautious stride and kept an eye out for the albino phone stealer. She was surprised they hadn't encountered him again, since he wasn't exactly hard to miss, and she hoped the knife wielder hadn't found him first. Whilst he was unpredictable, he had been extremely confused when he had run off... She couldn't help but worry a  _little_ bit.

The office wasn't hard to find- they had left the door ajar and it still was. Erika approached with newfound determination and pushed open the door-

-only to find someone else was already in there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm watching Archer on my final day of freedom (of which I only have 2 hours left)), and I'm really enjoying it. After this, I have a month of exams and misery, with the final exam being on June 1st.  
> \----------  
> Erika Zwingli: Liechtenstein  
> Matthias Køhler: Denmark  
> Francis Bonnefoy: France  
> Knife Wielder: ???  
> \----------


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: If you sleep in a cold room, you're more likely to have bad or negative dreams.  
> This is all the more reason I should constantly have a heater beside me.

* * *

**Erika found herself jerking to a stop in the doorway, until Francis wandered into her.** Her eyes were locked on the stranger sitting on vpop13's chair. He was a patient, as she could determine from his grey clothes, and he wasn't a familiar one, either. She was sure she would have recognised his eyebrows, because they were so thick and the messy, boyish blonde hair and harsh green eyes. His expression was almost hostile, for a moment, as vpop13's screen shone a reflective blue light onto his face. Perhaps 'hostile' was hyperbolic... He looked more irritated, as if questioning why they were there. But that was only for a brief moment. He soon relaxed and rose from his chair. She hesitated, because any movement could be regarded as a potential threat.

"Don't mind us!" he said apologetically. "We were just leaving."

His phrasing caused for some concern. With wild eyes, Erika looked around the room in search for the others he was with. Other than the young man in the chair, it was empty. Her heart hammered in her chest, wondering where it was that the patient's companions were hiding. The room was too dark, even when Francis swung the beam of light in.

"Come on," the patient said to thin air.

Erika watched in amazement as he gathered himself up and hurried towards the door, slipping past her and walking swiftly down the corridor. She was tempted to follow after him, because he didn't seem especially dangerous, but then caught herself. Looks could be deceiving and Erika wasn't in the mood to start gathering the patients on her quest to escape St Bedlam's. She shared glances with both Francis and Matthias, before wandering into the office.

Now that they were inside, she could start thinking a bit more clearly. They still had no chance of knowing the password, but she hoped there was something in the room that would aid with reaching the basement. Francis flashed the light over the desk to reveal an array of items alongside the laptop. There sat a pot brimming with half used pens and pencils, some out of ink entirely. A ruler had also been crammed into the pot. The laptop's screen was still blue, although there was nothing to indicate the patient had been getting the password wrong. Erika could only assume the patient had logged off. But how had  _he_ known the password? It wasn't worth dwelling on. She already knew the patient was long gone and they had no means of guessing the password. They would have to wait for another time if it was important.

She opened a few drawers, only to find them crammed with loose papers. These included bills, receipts, workings out and... a letter? She lifted it and motioned for Francis to shine the light on it. Matthias drew in close to read over their shoulders. It was addressed to a Mr V. Popescu. Naturally, Erika had no idea who that could be. She assumed this office was solely for vpop13, a.k.a. V. Popescu. Whatever they found in here belonged to him. That could work in their favour. He was, after all, an employee at St Bedlam's and could have an item that would benefit them. Such as a key card. However, this letter in her hands seemed rather important. It was in the format of a printed e-mail. The sender was 'maintenance'.

"Dear Mr V. Popescu," she read aloud, eyes scanning the paper. "Thank you for addressing me with this matter, as it is something that ought to be checked out. However, whilst your concerns are legitimate, is it possible that it may have been human error? These are common occurrences as there are many members of staff that have yet to get accustomed to the new technology. I would suggest turning the system on and off, to restart it, and then we can hold a test run on Sunday. If that doesn't work, then another method to try would be resetting the connection between the generator and the provider. Regardless, I believe the system needs a small break- turn it on and off as we rarely need to access the Residence. Once again, thank you for your attentiveness. Should neither of these solutions work, it would be greatly suggested you contact a higher member of staff and alert them of further problems. Kind regards, maintenance."

There was a pause as the three of them reviewed the strange piece of evidence. If this was recent, then that meant the facility had recently been experiencing problems in the controls. The power cut possibly may not have been down to a storm, but instead maybe a shortage in the circuit. Erika didn't know if that made their situation worse or not. She searched for a date on the e-mail and noted it had been received on Thursday 17th. Two days ago. For which case, they really had been experiencing power problems.

"Why are they letting in visitors when there are issues with the security system?" Francis voiced exactly what she was thinking. "That's dangerous. This is crazy. Now we're all going to die because some  _idiot_ was too lazy to do his job properly. Who even is this maintenance guy? I bet he's holed up in his safe room, away from all the Wards and the danger."

"Please calm down," Erika swallowed, conscious of the racket he was making. "We don't want to attract any unwanted attention."

"It doesn't matter now," Francis despaired. "The moment we set foot in here, we were doomed."

His wailing was becoming a little irritating, but Erika just had to accept he was terrified. For some reason, her own senses seemed dulled. It was as if a strong part of her was reluctant to believe any of this was actually happening. She felt protected by her stubbornness to pretend this was all a dream. It was working. The shock of what was happening hadn't quite hit her yet. Sure, there had been times when it had come close, but she'd always been coherent enough to keep a clear direction in her mind. She hadn't let the fear take control just yet.

"Maybe there's something else in this office?" Erika ignored Francis, hoping to change the subject and divert his attention from their impending demise.

"Hopefully that maintenance bastard's e-mail," Francis growled. "Or phone number. I'm pretty eager to get in contact and make him understand just what he's done."

"Oh, a  _party_ ," a chilling voice carried across the room. "I  _love_ parties, especially when I'm not invited."

Erika raised her eyes from the letter held in her hands and stared straight across the room, towards the doorway, where a silhouette stood. She noted the knife in his hand, dark with blood, and the bright gleam in his blue eyes. Last time, she had been protected by bars and the safety of having space to move around in. Now, there were no defences and they were confined in a small space with him. She grabbed the cross necklace and clutched it in her palm, realising she was never going to see her father and brother again.

"Please spare us!" Francis cried out, waving the flashlight a bit.

The knife wielder squinted as the torchlight beamed into his face, but he didn't cringe away or step aside from the doorframe.

"This place needs to be cleaned out," he replied. "That's my mission-  _my purpose_ \- my  _sending_. I must do the Lord's will, otherwise he'll be displeased with me."

Erika couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Not once did he draw his eyes away from her, even though he was talking to Francis. The piercing blue gaze drilled a hole through her soul and she knew her limbs were shaking. She wished she didn't look so afraid, but she couldn't help but feel the terror gnawing at her stomach. Erika gripped the cross tighter, hoping some kind of higher power would whisk her away to the past, so that she could prevent Basch from making the mistake he did in the first place. Then, neither of them would be in this mess. She wondered where her mother was now and if she was worried about them.

The knife wielder acted far quicker than any of them could. He rushed forward, which prompted Francis to leap over the desk and duck past him. It was amazing how agile the man could be when his life depended on it. Erika was about to follow, watching in dismay as their light vanished, when the knife wielder grabbed one of the long, plaited braids of her hair and pulled her towards him. She stumbled, crying out in fear and surprise, just as Matthias ducked away from a brutal stab, hopping around the side of the desk. Unlike Francis, he didn't abandon her, but instead remained with a fierce expression in his eyes. She could see the anger was rising, but in this circumstance, she wasn't sure that was such a bad thing.

A cold blade touched her throat. She stilled instantly, squeezing her eyes shut and listening to the rapid beating of her heart. Desperately, she wanted to be in some place in the past, where things were so much better in comparison to the present. Erika knew she wouldn't leave this room alive.

"Get your hands off of my sister," Matthias growled, but he stayed on the spot, not wanting to risk Erika's life.

"Your sister?" the knife wielder scoffed. "She don't look nothing like you, dude."

His fingers drifted from her hair to the chain around her neck. She stiffened, keeping her eyes closed because she didn't want to die. She could tell, from his hand movements, that he was inspecting the necklace. He sighed.

"I knew it," the knife wielder breathed. "He did hear my prayers. From the moment I saw you, I knew you were the one. You're the angel the Lord has sent to me, the sign that my mission truly has begun."

She opened her eyes and saw the confusion in Matthias' face as he stared at her. The knife remained at her throat and she suddenly became extremely unsure of what was going to happen to her. Angel? Mission? What on Earth was he going on about? Erika didn't dare struggle away because she was too worried that the knife wielder would open her throat from ear to ear.

"All of those other whores aren't like you," the knife wielder continued, his voice almost taking a prayer-like tone. "I've waited so long for you to come into my life, and it only makes sense that it should be today of all of them."

"Please don't kill me," she sobbed, finally feeling the terror course through her.

"Your voice, too," he exalted. "Like sweet music. You're everything I dreamt of."

"Let her go," Matthias said weakly, glancing uncertainly between Erika and the knife wielder.

He stiffened, remembering Matthias was in the same room as them.

"Ah, of course," he barked. "The mission."

Erika was pushed aside, just like that. She crawled across the floor, making as much distance between herself and the knife wielder as possible. She breathed in deep, trying to calm the accelerated beating of her heart, but she was aware that Matthias was now the knife wielder's target. She staggered to her feet just as the knife wielder lunged towards Matthias. Erika almost screamed in terror, but Matthias matched his opponent's speed and clasped the knife, ignoring how it tore through the thin flesh between his middle and index finger. Blood ran down in a thin line along his hand and palm, but he ignored it and focused on wrestling with the knife wielder instead. It was too tense for Erika. She felt the sweat on her palms and she couldn't control her breathing.

"Erika, get out of here!" Matthias yelled, glowering at her.

She stiffened, just as the knife wielder followed Matthias' gaze and gave her one of those eerie, piercing stares.

"Erika?" he said. "Your name is-"

"Run!" Matthias interrupted him, pushing harder against the knife.

"What about you?" she panicked, slipping past the desk.

"I'll be fine," he grinned. "Big brothers always are."

"Where are you going?" the knife wielder gawked as she nodded to Matthias and hurried to the door.

Erika ignored him. She trusted that Matthias knew what he was doing and she strongly believed he would follow right after her once she was a good distance.

"Where are you  _going_?" the knife wielder wailed. "You're meant to stay with  _me_."

He had clearly lost the plot. Erika found herself picking up speed and racing down the corridor, her feet slamming against the ground as she sprinted along. She had always been a fast runner and now it was time to put those skills to the test. A loud noise behind her brought worries to her head. She had to look over her shoulder, just to see what was going on...

The knife wielder stood in the corridor, a wide smile on his face that brought fear cutting deep into her heart. He was just about to take chase when Matthias leapt out of the doorway and tackled him to the ground. Shouts filled the air as a scuffle ensued and she watched in horror as the knife flashed, each stab bringing blood from Matthias' body. She was watching a man get stabbed to death.

"Don't watch that."

A hand turned her head away and she suddenly saw Francis. But had had run off? He looked guilty, but quickly took a hold of her hand and begun running away from the vicious scene behind them. The torch illuminated the murky corridor, showing corpses that Erika would rather pretend didn't exist. She couldn't erase the sight of Matthias' repeated stabbing from her mind. It sickened her. They had abandoned him and all he'd wanted to do was protect them.

"You  _fucking_ bastard."

She turned her head to see the knife wielder far at the end of the corridor, his grey uniform stained with dark blood. Fresh blood. Matthias' blood. Tears brimmed at her eyes as Francis kept hauling her along and she had to turn her head away when she heard him take chase. She didn't want to know whether he would catch up to them, but Erika knew it would be death if that were the case. Francis rounded the corner and she saw, at the end of the corridor, that the door to the Controls Room was slightly open.

A safe space, of course, and within it- Tino! Never had she been so glad to have seen the employee's round, innocent face and wide, violet eyes, but there he was, waving for them to run quicker, and even shouting out to them. The world seemed a little blurry, partly because Erika was crying, but also because her mind was elsewhere. Her mind was on the poor patient who had sacrificed himself for their benefit. And what had they done in return? Abandoned him and left him to the gruesome fate he had endured. She felt so  _guilty_.

Francis reached the door, with Tino ushering them inside and closing the door hastily. He wasted no time in bolting it shut and heaved out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness," Tino blew out a breath. "I was worried for a moment, there... I thought..."

"No worries," Francis assured him. "It seemed really close for a mo-"

Erika stormed to the control panel and ran her hands across the sides for any drawers. It didn't take long to find what she was searching for. She lifted the scissors up and worked on agitatedly unplaiting her hair.

"Erika?" Tino stared, wide eyed and ashen faced.

"If I didn't have long hair, I could've escaped and Matthias wouldn't have had a reason to intervene," she complained, pulling at the hair strands and wincing when she yanked too hard. "He grabbed my  _braid_ , for crying out loud... I can't believe it, I..."

"Matthias?" Tino looked sad. "As in, the patient, Matthias Kohler?"

She nodded, frustrated, until Francis handed his phone to Tino and approached, gently taking the scissors from her hands.

"Let me do this," he assured her, when she begun to protect. "I agree with you that very long hair gets in the way, but I've styled hair before. If we're going to die in here, we can at least die fashionable."

It was an effort in humour and she couldn't blame how morbid he had become. She didn't blame him for running, either. Erika let him take the scissors and seated herself on the nearest chair, with Tino watching terrified in the distance.

"What happened out there?" the nurse asked.

"That guy with a knife," Francis cringed. "We only got away because of Matthias. I was just on my way back after running off. I apologise for that, by the way..."

"It's no worries," she said blandly, the strength rapidly leaving her limbs.

"Yeah, that Nutter with the Knife freaks me out so much," Francis shook his head. "I just lost all rationality and legged it. I really am sorry. Maybe if I'd stayed we could've overpowered him, but... I'm sorry."

"It's not a problem," she replied numbly.

"We found something in your colleagues room," Francis told Tino, deciding he wouldn't get much from Erika in the current moment.

"Oh?" Tino walked a little closer, and then jumped when someone banged loudly on the door.

"Let me in!" the knife wielder wailed. "This isn't fair! Erika! We  _need_ each other for the mission to truly work."

She ignored him.

"That kid really needs to get a grip," Francis huffed.

"You can't blame him for being who he is," Tino sighed sympathetically. "He personally scares me, but it's not his fault..."

"Well, he's still a psycho," Francis said.

"You people and your labels!" Tino outburst. "His  _name_ is Alfred and he's a  _person_ , just like you and I."

"Oh, well, why don't you go and open the door, then?" Francis turned on him, eyes blazing. "Why don't we all have a nice, little organised chat and see what he thinks of that? Who knows? He might only slit our throats rather than stab us several times and leave us to bleed out like he did with that  _other_ patient- Matthias. Since he's such a sweet,  _innocent_ guy, why don't you  _let him in_ , Tino?"

Tino, pale with fury, closed his mouth and turned away, saying no more. Francis moodily went back to cutting Erika's hair whilst the knife wielder pounded on the door, begging to be let in.

Outside, the sky gradually grew darker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll leave off on a joke. Why were all the animals laughing at the owl?  
> \----------  
> Erika Zwingli: Liechtenstein  
> Francis Bonnefoy: France  
> Matthias Kohler: Denmark  
> Knife Wielder: America  
> Tino Vainamoinen: Finland  
> \----------


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I've been relatively inactive lately.

* * *

**Erika stared at herself in the reflection of the dark screen.** She could barely make out anything, but the rough silhouette and slight lighting she could see in the computer's reflection was enough to tell her that she suddenly looked a lot like Basch. Francis had quickly learnt to admire her hair, complimenting the thick, golden locks, and had suggested she go shoulder length. Erika had been feeling particularly brutal- "besides, hair grows back"- and felt Matthias' cause at least demanded she have it chin-length. Thus, she went short. Her head felt extremely light as a result, all the heavy hair gone. It didn't feel like much, but next time, there would be no hair for anyone to grab on to. She was glad for that, because she was sick of letting people down. All she had done so far was get dragged around and hope someone else would help her. This was just a small, subtle start to a new her.

As for the man who had grabbed her... He was relentless. He had pounded away at the door and begged for what seemed like forever. His determination to get inside had been both terrifying and somewhat impressive. After a while, it had become easy to ignore his calls and even the patient became bored eventually, promising to come back for her before leaving them at peace. Francis had suggested they take a nap, but Tino hadn't been keen to let his guard down. Erika told them both to sleep and she would stay awake on watch. She needed some time to think things through. Once the other two had stopped talking and seemed to have fallen asleep, somehow, she sat in the darkness and wondered if Francis' phone had better connection than hers did. She had possession of the device as the one to stay watch, but she didn't know the password. She doubted it was any better, otherwise he surely would've called the authorities or some other kind of outside help.

When she checked the phone's life, she could see about a quarter of the battery had dwindled away- probably more, actually. Francis had gone to the effort of putting it on power-saving mode, which was one fortunate thing. Keeping the torch on was definitely taxing and energy draining. Erika didn't know how long Francis' phone would last and she knew for a fact that Tino's had been broken earlier on. That meant Francis' phone was their only source of light to rely on. It wasn't hopeful news. In fact, the entire scene seemed rather dire if she thought about it, because she wasn't even sure if the knife wielder- Alfred- would leave them alone. In some bizarre and twist way, he seemed to believe she had some kind of connection to his mission. Erika didn't know what his mission was, and she didn't particularly want to either. Whatever it was, it seemed messed up and she preferred to remain uninvolved.

They had explained the recent events to Tino. Erika had found Matthias and had stayed with him until the bitter end. They had also explained to him the truth about vpop13, who turned out to be called Vladimir Popescu, and was one of Tino's colleagues. Popescu wasn't a nurse like Tino was, so hadn't worked directly with the patients and mostly spent his time organising the visitor's rooms and monitoring the Control Room staff. The e-mail between Popescu and Maintenance had also deeply worried Tino. To Erika, this was beginning to seem like a severe lack of communication amongst the different occupations of the institution. Nobody seemed to have any proper idea of what the higher-ups truly wanted. St. Bedlam's was a mess and it had taken a security lockdown for people to realise that. She couldn't help but feel slightly disgusted at the tragic waste of human life as a result. So many people had suffered and died, and it was likely, once the authorities came, that the patients would be blamed for it, rather than the staff who had mismanaged the system. She was angry just thinking about it, because there were perfectly innocent people in here, such as Matthias and Basch, who wouldn't randomly harm people.

This needed to get out to the public. In no way would she allow the managers of St. Bedlam's blame the patients for something they weren't guilty of. Erika's new sense of justice willed her with newfound passion, surprising her of how tired she had been moments beforehand. At the same time, though, it reminded her of how tired she had become. Speaking of that... she checked Francis' phone and was more than relieved to find it said eleven at night. How was it that it felt like she'd been there forever? She also felt undeniably hungry. Erika wanted something to eat, and the low rumbling in her stomach was a prompt for that. But there was no chance of there being food in the visitor's room. That would be crazy, unless there was some kind of hanging out room on this floor, or a vending machine. The thought of a good, melt in the mouth chocolate bar only increased how hungry she was. Everything was a constant reminder of her discomfort.

Tino had had very little to tell them when exchanging stories. He had run upstairs as soon as he could and had fled straight for the Control Room. As a member of staff, he already knew the code, so it hadn't exactly been hard for him to get inside. As only members of staff knew the code, aside from Erika, he had guaranteed himself a safe spot to stay, without the patients finding him. Sheepishly, Tino had admitted to hiding in there, hoping someone would eventually find him, but neither Francis nor Erika could blame him for wanting to find a safe place to be. There seemed to be danger around every corner. The Control Room was surprisingly safe, although the albino patient had once told Erika that a time would come when they would no longer be able to run to it. Tino, like Francis, had told them that Antonio and Ludwig were nowhere to be found. He expression that there probably wasn't that much hope to finding them at this point. Alfred the Knifer had had a vengeance against everyone for the cause of his warped mission, and Antonio and Ludwig weren't likely to be exceptions.

And was Erika an exception? She really needed to consider that. He had had a knife to her throat, before he had suddenly changed to near veneration. The rapid change had been so sudden and intense, as adoration had kicked in. But the fact was this: the Knifer hadn't killed her. He had pushed her aside, promising to continue his mission, and twice now he had told her he would find her. But he hadn't killed her. He had let her live. It was definitely something to do with his mission and her being the 'angel' that the Lord sent. Erika actually believed that, if she hadn't been wearing her cross, he would've killed her. The small, gold cross had saved her life and she couldn't be more grateful. Without her faith, she would be dead. Luckily, the Knifer was religious- even if he had grossly misinterpreted God's Will. It was because of that that he had decided to let her live in this awful place. Even so, that didn't mean she was about to come any closer to him. He had had a  _knife_ to her  _throat_. One slice and she could've died. The Knifer had come extremely close to killing her and that was enough deterrent to keep a safe distance away from him.

Francis woke up around that time and offered to take her shift. Erika declined. As tired as she was, she wasn't in the mood for sleeping. She couldn't force herself to close her eyes, because her mind was far too active. It was best that she stayed awake and alert in this place.

"Are we still on for the basement, then?" Francis asked, sitting in the chair beside her. "I feel like it's our best option and Tony seemed all for it..."

"You trust his judgement a lot," Erika commented, suddenly in the mood for conversation. She felt getting to know the other people she was stuck with was of the best ways to pass the time and develop trust amongst strangers.

"I've known him for years," Francis smiled fondly. "We met a university. He was studying... business and economics, because he planned to go into marketing, and I was doing arts, drama and fashion. The only reason we met was because we were in the same halls. He was that one kid who really worked his hardest- he put all his effort into his course, into meeting new people, into everything that faced him. Tony was a sure hardworking guy. It's funny, really, because when we first met, I didn't want to know him. I thought he was a try-hard loser. I was so wrong. Tony was, by far, one of the nicest people on this planet. He was an optimist, and he really didn't deserve whatever fate he's probably met by now. Geez, it should've been me..."

Erika reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder. "He could still be alive. You are, after all."

"The only people you've seen are Tino and I, and that's because we ran first," Francis said drily. "But thanks, anyway..."

"What are the two of you doing here today?" she asked. "I mean, who are you visiting?"

"Ludwig's older brother," Francis said. "Gilbert. Also a friend of ours. He was also in the same halls as us and he was probably the one to unite us. Gil was an engineering student and more confident than anyone else I've met- even more so than me. Ah but then... never mind. Tony and I met Ludwig through him and the three of us usually like to come and see him together. We keep it frequent. He's a good guy, too, but I don't know where he'd be right now. We were just leaving when the lockdown occurred and then had to force our way out of the lift, onto the fifth floor. We hadn't even heard of these Threat Levels, so I can't say for sure if was returned to a different floor entirely, or if he's safe where he's supposed to be."

"I'm sure he's fine," they were empty words, but she said them anway.

"What about you?" he asked.

"I'm visiting my brother, Basch," she frowned, staring into space. "I cam today with my dad, who should be elsewhere in St. Bedlam's. I don't know where, though... I actually saw Basch, you know, on the fourth floor. He took me to the third floor and to his room there. He must be a Level Three. It's weird, really, to have someone you know labelled based on how much of a threat to society they are. He seemed perfectly normal, too. He was nothing like I remembered before he was shut in here, but I supposed those particularly memories weren't especially positive, you know?"

"Taken to the third floor," Francis mused aloud. "I can't believe you're back up here, then. That's crazy."

"Well, as I said, one of the patients dragged me back up, because he wanted to see the Control Room," she frowned. "And he knew that I knew the code."

"You never explained how you found that little bit of information out," Francis pointed out.

"Oh, well..." she thought back really hard. "I visited my brother, who told me to get in there... because he wanted a key card."

Francis arched an eyebrow. "And you were going to give him one? You're not as good as I thought you were."

"He looked really desperate and I'm beginning to see why now," she stressed. "St. Bedlam's isn't safe, even for the patients. However, the lockdown happened just as I got into the Control Room."

"And what did that dickhead patients want with this place?" Francis glanced all around. "It's dead in here."

"Hmm, he never said," she confessed. "But I was scared, so I brought him up here. He was rather... impatient and direct. I felt rushed so didn't have time to reason and ask him what it was he wanted."

"You must've escaped him, though, right?" Francis asked. "Unless he told you to scram once you got him here?"

"No, he had my phone and he didn't seem keen to let me walk off," Erika said. "He had the strangest of mood swings. He forgot what he was doing here, panicked and then ran off. I haven't seen him since, but it would be nice to get my phone back..."

"DID," Francis lowered his eyes to the ground with a frown.

"What?" she blinked.

"It stands for Dissociative Identity Disorder," Francis said. "Multiple Personality Disorder is one of the branches. DID is where two personalities can coexist in a single person. Both have distinct memories and behaviours, but there are some cases where neither personality can remember what the other did, nor are they aware of the other's existence. Gilbert had that. It wrecked him by the end and... yeah. He ended up here. That patient probably had the same thing..."

"Oh, that's... a shame..." she suddenly felt sorry for the albino patient.

Francis nodded solemnly. "He'll probably eventually get his bearings and question why he isn't at the Controls Room later. Same process and he'll repeat it until he either gets killed, dies or the authorities arrive to rescue us all."

"And what about Tino?" Erika gestured towards the nurse, still asleep. "You were walking with him for a bit. Did you learn anything about him?"

"Nope," Francis shook his head. "At the time, I didn't think I'd need to know his personal life. Back then, I didn't think we'd actually be stuck here..."

"You're a pessimist, aren't you?" she allowed herself a dry smile.

"Not normally," Francis returned it.

Tino yawned and sat up. Carefully, he glanced between them, before standing and wandered closer towards them.

"Do we have any plans?" he asked tiredly.

"Get to the basement," Erika said, fiddling with the ends of her newly cut hair. "Just as before. If I think about it, one of the gates to the fourth floor has been broken open. That means the rest of you can come down with me, now."

"Oh, well, you didn't mention  _that_ before," Francis puffed out his cheeks.

"I'm sorry," Erika frowned. "I completely forgot. We can definitely make it down there, though."

"I mean, that's a relief," Tino breathed out a sigh. "We'll be one floor closer to the bottom."

"Two, actually," Erika said. "One of the gates to the third floor had been ripped off."

"The  _third_ floor?" Tino frowned, his sudden demeanour changing to wariness. "I-I see."

"That's a  _good_ thing," Francis prompted.

"Yes, of course it is," Tino shook his head. "I just know there's some... nasty patients down there."

"I think there's some nasty patients  _everywhere_ ," Francis grumbled. "How about it, then? I think we should go down to the third floor and see what we can find there. With any luck, we won't encounter that Nutter with the Knife."

" _Alfred_ ," Tino corrected irritably.

"We can't stay in here," Erika frowned. "I've been told it's not all that safe. Or, at least, it won't be."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tino asked hesitantly.

"Don't worry about it," she smiled. "I'll go first. For some reason, Alfred didn't kill me when he could've."

"That's not a  _good_ sign, Erika," Tino warned. "If I'm perfectly honest, I've never seen that patient make an attachment to  _anyone_ before- not even his family. Are you sure you want to go first?"

"It's safest," she shrugged. "He won't kill me; I just know it. But he'd kill you two. This way, no one dies."

"At least hold the scissors, in case if he comes at you," Francis offered.

"I'm sorry, but I wouldn't be able to kill someone," she admitted sheepishly. "Even if it was a life or death situation... I'm sorry. You should hold onto them."

He nodded and both men watched her with fearful eyes as she neared the door. Erika was nearly positive that Alfred was long gone from the other side. The only he would return would be because he had finished his mission and had 'come back' for her. Quite frankly, she was sure his mission wouldn't be complete until every else in St. Bedlam's was dead. That worried her, because that likely included Basch and her father. Erika just had to hold faith that the pair of them were fine.

Closing her hand around the handle, she took a deep breath. The worst that could happen was that, if Alfred was on the other side, he might rush into the room and take away their one haven. However, that hadn't occurred to the other two yet, and she wasn't about to warn them of something they had yet to fear. She swung the door open and stepped out, half closing it behind her, until she was met with only the empty corridor and nobody in sight. She waited for a bit, but nobody made an appearance. It truly was safe.

"You can come out," she told the other two.

Francis followed after her. "I need to stop letting  _you_ do all the dangerous work. You're just a kid."

"To the basement, then?" Tino asked nervously, following them out.

"Precisely," Erika said and wandered forwards.

She still had Francis' phone, but belongings had become a thing of the past. He had the scissors now anyway, so had little to complain about. As they reached the staircase, she found herself hesitating. Right around the corner would be Matthias' corpse...

"You don't want to see that," Francis assured her, as if reading her mind.

He was right. She didn't want to see. So she chose not to, and walked down the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The answer to the joke was:
> 
> "Because he was a hoot!"  
> \----------  
> Erika Zwingli: Liechtenstein  
> Tino Vainamoinen: Finland  
> Francis Bonnefoy: France  
> Alfred Jones: America  
> \----------


End file.
